ambush 1 of 2

1
as in attack
a setup in which hidden attackers lie in wait revolutionaries laid in ambush for the king along the route his carriage would travel

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2
as in trap
a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise thinking that he was getting into his assigned limousine, the diplomat did not realize that he was the victim of an ambush as he was being lured into his captor's car

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ambush

2 of 2

verb

as in to attack
to lie in wait for and attack by surprise the king's enemies planned to ambush the royal coach on the way to Paris and capture the king

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ambush
Noun
But the plan goes severely awry when Hastings’ and Edwards’ planned ambush of the convoy is interrupted by German intelligence officers in a surprise attack, leaving their members wounded and in need of a retreat. Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025 Minnesota’s Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson condemned the deception and affirmed how troubling the ambush was. Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
The entertainment giant accused Sling TV’s parent of ambushing it with the offering, allegedly without consultation, to capitalize on the starts of the college football and NFL seasons. Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025 Pusser said Pauline was shot and wounded on New Hope Road, then the couple was ambushed again, and she was shot and killed about three miles from the Mississippi border. Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ambush
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambush
Noun
  • And now Google warns that Chrome is under attack, issuing an emergency update and a recommendation to upgrade all desktop browsers immediately.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Ukrainian defense forces took down the 230-foot (70 meters) antenna dish to prevent Russian forces from using it to guide attacks on its territory.
    Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In 2016, when Bad Bunny first emerged, he was identified with a style known as Latin trap, a woozy and thudding hybrid that owes something to American hip-hop.
    Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025
  • There’s one more Medicare trap to consider that applies regardless of your election for Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage.
    Steve Vernon, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The neighbor, who denied any political motivations in the attack, pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress was sentenced to eight months behind bars.
    Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
  • In April, 2021, two Chinese women were assaulted outside the town’s only Asian grocery store.
    Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Daugherty put the snare around the animal.
    Saleen Martin, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
  • As the gator wore down Blake got a snare around it and worked it toward their boat.
    Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Still, plenty of players have had fast starts to their careers only to be waylaid by health issues or bizarre regressions.
    Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
  • McDonald had grown up attending church services, but decades of addiction and abuse had waylaid her.
    Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Allow team members to collaborate, and then surprise you with the results.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • As is true every year there have been a few movies that have surprised people, but there’s a lot of enthusiasm for going to the theater.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Yang noted that this data is nearly impossible to capture with human athletes.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Its reversible design offers you the unique opportunity to decorate with the seasons—the lighter side for spring and summer and the darker to capture the moodiness of fall and winter.
    Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 16 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ambush.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambush. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.

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