ambush

[ am-boosh ]

/ ˈæm bʊʃ /

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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.

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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, ambulatory care, ambulette, ambuscade, ambuscado, ambush, ambush bug, ambystomid, AMC, Amchitka, AMD

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

How to use ambush in a sentence

Skeletons of adults, teens and children excavated in the 1960s at an ancient cemetery in Sudan known as Jebel Sahaba display injuries incurred in repeated skirmishes, raids or ambushes, say paleoanthropologist Isabelle Crevecoeur and her colleagues.
Hunter-gatherers first launched violent raids at least 13,400 years ago|Bruce Bower|May 27, 2021|Science News
In a testament to Carol Ann Drazba’s care, Johnny Williams, whom she treated after an ambush left him severely injured, sent flowers to her mother every year until he passed away.
Eight Women’s Names Are Among the Thousands on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Here’s What to Know About Them|Francine Uenuma|May 27, 2021|Time
Right now, Kammerer says, it’s hard to know whether this reptile was an ambush or pursuit predator.
An ancient hippo-sized reptile may have been a speedy beast|Carolyn Wilke|April 9, 2021|Science News For Students
“Whether it was an ambush or pursuit predator is a very difficult thing to address, and perhaps unknowable,” given that animals at that time were quite different from modern ones.
An ancient hippo-sized reptile may have been surprisingly agile|Carolyn Wilke|March 15, 2021|Science News

Google searches for “short squeeze” rose by more than 800 percent this past week, as Americans tried to decode an ambush by Reddit traders on Wall Street hedge fund managers who had bet against brick-and-mortar video game firm GameStop.
Beyond GameStop: Are You Ready for an Economic Moonshot?|Charu Kasturi|January 31, 2021|Ozy
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Some time after Bruce went north, he proceeded to Douglasdale again78 and placed an ambush near his ancestral castle.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
Douglas now broke ambush and cut off Webton from the castle, eventually slaying him and all his men.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
He planted an ambush in the early morning, and let the hay lie till the peel men had gone out to cut their crop.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
At Dantzig, with his own hand, he killed a Russian sergeant who had caught a French cavalry colonel in an ambush.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Its tactics are like those of the Indian who fights under cover or lies in ambush for his enemy.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various

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

ambush

Origin of ambush

OTHER WORDS FROM ambush

Words nearby ambush

Words related to ambush

How to use ambush in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ambush

Derived forms of ambush

Word Origin for ambush