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ambush Definition

am·bush (am′bo̵os̸h′)

noun

  1. a deployment of persons in hiding to make a surprise attack
    1. the persons in hiding
    2. their place of hiding
  3. the act of so lying in wait to attack
  4. a surprise attack made by persons waiting in ambush

Etymology: OFr embusche < embuschier: see ambushthe

transitive verb, intransitive verb

  1. to hide in ambush
  2. to attack from ambush

Etymology: ME embusshen < OFr embuschier, to lay an ambush < ML *imboscare < in-, in- + boscus, woods < Frank busk, akin to bush

ambush Related Forms
am′·bush′·ment noun
ambush Synonyms

ambush

n.

hiding place, pitfall, snare, camouflage, ambuscade, deception, cover, blind; see also trap 1, trick 1.

ambush Synonyms

ambush

v.

waylay, ensnare, ambuscade, lie in wait for, set a trap, attack from a concealed position, keep out of sight, lie concealed, wait in ambuscade, bait the hook, decoy, entrap, hook in, skulk, lurk, surround, hem in, surprise, lay for*; see also attack 1.

ambush Usage Examples

Object

  • convoy: Its purpose was guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines: attacking airfields, ambushing convoys, destroying ammunition dumps.
  • patrol: Led patrols on Mount Kent, East Falkland to ambush enemy patrols.
  • vehicle: They have made killing raids, ambushed vehicles, attacked schools, burned buildings.
  • unit: Raised by 10 % their odds to detect ambushed units.
  • party: The giants had been ambushing merchant parties for some time to judge from the contents of the cave.

Converse of object

  • lay: On his return, the king devised yet one more trap for him, laying an ambush, with picked men of Lycia.
  • prepare: Little did we know that we were walking into a carefully prepared ambush.
  • set: You are to set an ambush behind the city.
  • survive: Her loved ones had clung to the hope that the military supply clerk had survived the ambush.

Preposition: on

  • convoy: An ambush on an American military convoy in central Baghdad ended with the death of one soldier, the military said.

Adjective modifier

  • deadly: They lay in wait for Bond and company with a deadly ambush.
  • terrorist: British soil was not attacked in this terrorist ambush but our way of life has been irrevocably affected.
  • late: Back to Top Late ambushes Late " ambushes " are a regrettable but occasionally inescapable feature of litigation.

Modifies a noun

  • marketing: What we need is some really relevant ambush marketing.
  • site: In addition there were many other potential ambush sites - all of which she visited much more often than Gowan Avenue.
  • predator: Pike are ambush predators, mounting a lightening quick attack that lasts only a few seconds.
  • position: So complete was the surprise that German vehicles and motor cyclists still drove into a Commando ambush position until noon.

Modifying Another Word

  • then: The Fyrd who had left the shield wall were then ambushed and slaughtered by Norman cavalry.
  • also: Four further Haganah armored cars were sent to the rescue, but were also ambushed and forced to retreat.

Preposition: for

  • conrad: Why not wait in ambush for conrad behind the door swung open.