ambush

[am-boo sh]

SEE MORE 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.

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.

Related formsam·bush·er, nounam·bush·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ambush

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

Examples from the Web for ambush

Contemporary Examples of ambush

They were the machine gun bullets coming from the ambush when my company got hit.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
In one ambush in late July, 11 Hezbollah fighters were killed, according to Lebanese security sources.
Hezbollah’s Widening War Spreads to Iraq
Jamie Dettmer
August 1, 2014
He was killed instantly by a blast in an ambush launched on our vehicles outside of a schoolhouse.
Memorial Days After Mourning Has Passed
Alex Horton
May 25, 2014
She would lure him to a Paris suburb where the gang waited in ambush.
A Horror Story of True-Life Anti-Semitism in France
Tracy McNicoll
April 28, 2014
Opponents call the technique “ambush elections” and say the rules do not leave enough time for management to make its case.
Obama Loves Labor (on the Down Low)
David Freedlander
April 10, 2014

Historical Examples of ambush

Firing from ambush and moving from place to place, he would seem more than one man.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
No mountains are here, but this is a great country for ambush.
The Rock of Chickamauga
Joseph A. Altsheler
Besides, they can rake us with bullets from ambush, while we're climbing up the ridge.
The Rock of Chickamauga
Joseph A. Altsheler
We're only two, but we've got the advantage of the ambush, and that's a big one.
The Rock of Chickamauga
Joseph A. Altsheler
Darkness, the ambush and the caution of sharpshooters were there.
The Rock of Chickamauga
Joseph A. Altsheler

British Dictionary definitions for ambush

ambush

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 Formsambusher, 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

Word Origin and History for ambush

c.1300, from Old French embuscher (13c., Modern French embûcher) "to lay an ambush," from en- "in" + busch "wood," apparently from Frankish *busk "bush, woods" (see bush (n.)). Related: Ambushed; ambushing.

late 15c., embushe, from the English verb or from Middle French embusche, from Old French embuscher (see ambush (v.)). Earlier was ambushment (late 14c.). Figurative use by 1590s.