ambush

[ am-boo sh ]
/ ˈæm bʊʃ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ambush ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Also am·bush·ment.

an act or instance of lying concealed so as to attack by surprise: The highwaymen waited in ambush near the road.
an act or instance of attacking unexpectedly from a concealed position.
the concealed position itself: They fired from ambush.
those who attack suddenly and unexpectedly from a concealed position.

verb (used with object)

to attack from ambush.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ambush

1250–1300; (v.) Middle English enbuss(h)en < Middle French embuschier to place men in ambush, literally, to set in the woods, equivalent to em- im-1 + busch- (< Vulgar Latin *busca wood, forest < Germanic *busk- heavy stick) + -ier infinitive suffix; (noun) earlier enbusshe < Middle French embusche, derivative of the v.

OTHER WORDS FROM ambush

am·bush·er, nounam·bush·like, adjective

Words nearby ambush

ambulatory care, ambulatory surgery, ambulette, ambuscade, ambuscado, ambush, ambush bug, ambystomid, amc, amchitka, amd
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to ambush

assault, trap, surround, waylay, deception, camouflage, shelter, concealment, trick, lurking, pitfall, ambuscade, hiding, waiting, hide, decoy, ensnare, lurk, bushwhack, jump

Example sentences from the Web for ambush

British Dictionary definitions for ambush

ambush
/ (ˈæmbʊʃ) /

noun

the act of waiting in a concealed position in order to launch a surprise attack
a surprise attack from such a position
the concealed position from which such an attack is launched
the person or persons waiting to launch such an attack

verb

to lie in wait (for)
(tr) to attack suddenly from a concealed position

Derived forms of ambush

ambusher, noun

Word Origin for ambush

C14: from Old French embuschier to position in ambush, from em- im- + -buschier, from busche piece of firewood, probably of Germanic origin; see bush 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012