ambush
Americannoun
-
ambushes
plural
-
an act or instance of lying concealed so as to attack by surprise.
The highwaymen waited in ambush near the road.
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an act or instance of attacking unexpectedly from a concealed position.
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the concealed position itself.
They fired from ambush.
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those who attack suddenly and unexpectedly from a concealed position.
verb (used with object)
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ambushes,
present (3rd person singular)
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ambushed,
past participle, past
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ambushing
present participle
noun
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the act of waiting in a concealed position in order to launch a surprise attack
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a surprise attack from such a position
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the concealed position from which such an attack is launched
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the person or persons waiting to launch such an attack
verb
-
to lie in wait (for)
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(tr) to attack suddenly from a concealed position
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ambushsimple
-
ambushessimple
-
have ambushedperfect
-
has ambushedperfect
-
am ambushingprogressive
-
are ambushingprogressive
-
is ambushingprogressive
-
have been ambushingperfect progressive
-
has been ambushingperfect progressive
Past
-
ambushedsimple
-
had ambushedperfect
-
was ambushingprogressive
-
were ambushingprogressive
-
had been ambushingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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.
Explanation
An ambush is a sneak attack. To ambush your enemy, hide and wait for him to come near and then pounce on him. In war or in backyards, an ambush is a great way to surprise someone. Ambush comes from a Latin word meaning “to place in a wood,” and hiding in the woods behind a tree is a classic starting point for an ambush. The actual attack is called an ambush, but ambush is also a verb, so you can ambush your mom by dropping water balloons on her head from a tree. Please don’t tell her where you got that idea.
Vocabulary lists containing ambush
Animal Farm
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"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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"In the Spotlight," Vocabulary from the informational text
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
El Salvador has deployed special forces to Haiti after four of its soldiers serving in a UN-backed force in the Caribbean nation went missing following a gang ambush, officials said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
Rather than actively chasing prey, the snake may have relied on ambush tactics, remaining concealed until another animal came within striking distance.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
“I’m not going to ambush those guys, and I’m not going to ambush Glas,” Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
In its statement Wednesday, Israel’s military said its troops were preparing an ambush in the area when the incident occurred.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
There was a choking noise from Agravaine in the ambush, and pt once he was rushing toward the unicorn, with the slurp boar-spear in his hands.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
The filmmakers take their time revealing what long-ago crimes have so incensed Okuzaki as he more or less ambushes old comrades and superiors in their homes, confronting them with his accusations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
AFP spoke to his former business partner, ex-major Omar Rodriguez, who said that after a few desert ambushes last year, Quijano "paused" the operation.
From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025
Yet so much can derail them: fractured supply chains, staff blowups, quirks of locations and traffic, social media ambushes, even the unexpected, like COVID.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025
And as climate change supercharges more storms, fires, earthquakes, and other inevitable tragedies throughout this year and beyond, prepare to have to deal with these ambushes as well.
From Slate ● Jan. 8, 2025
It meant hearing his loud complaints about her mother’s culinary ambushes: chicken bloody at the bone, undercooked vegetables, unpeeled fruit served with room-temperature cream cheese.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Think of it as a tax “prenup” with Uncle Sam that you settle up on your terms so the surviving spouse isn’t ambushed by higher rates down the road.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
It was a safe haven from the Germans, who feared being ambushed by the Resistance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Braddock’s column was ambushed by French and Native American forces at the Battle of the Monongahela.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The BBC has been shown footage from 22 June 2023 in which a group of migrants, who had just crossed into Evros and wanted to claim asylum, were ambushed by masked men.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
The turtle, the dead-end channel, the cliff...Hazel got the feeling this was not the first time the letter writer had ambushed a ship here.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
That’s still better than ambushing workers all at once with mass layoffs, some executives say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
The turtles mainly hunt by hiding under water and ambushing their prey, he said.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
We’ve all seen the appalling videos of masked agents ambushing and abducting these migrants in the halls of New York’s immigration court as they’re leaving a hearing.
From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2026
Then Betts came to the plate and continued his recent — and long-awaited — turnaround offensively, ambushing a first-pitch slider for his first home run since July 5.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2025
The young bounced around the adults, ambushing one another, rolling in mock battle, and shrieking for protection when an older animal lost patience and bared its teeth.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
