Dictionary.com

ambush

[ am-boosh ]
/ ˈÊm bʊʃ /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: ambush / ambushed / ambushes 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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ambush in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ambush

ambush
/ (ˈÊmbʊʃ) /

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
FEEDBACK