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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples 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
Paul Larosa, CBS News, 1 Nov. 2024
In July 2022, a federal judge in North Dakota ordered La Linea to pay $4.6 billion in damages to the families of nine Americans killed in a November 4, 2019, ambush in northern Mexico.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
David Axe, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Viewers are ambushed by jarring visuals and ambitious moments of cinematography (there’s a dinner scene that is downright remarkable), proving that what many believe is one of Bergman’s lesser works is, perhaps, one of his most interesting.
—B.j. Colangelo, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ambush 
Noun
Couple's first date ends with deadly ambush the night before Thanksgiving 04:18
Smith survived the shooting but doesn't remember anything from that Thanksgiving Day.
—Paul Larosa, CBS News, 1 Nov. 2024
In July 2022, a federal judge in North Dakota ordered La Linea to pay $4.6 billion in damages to the families of nine Americans killed in a November 4, 2019, ambush in northern Mexico.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
Ever since then, four elite Ukrainian brigades have been deliberately hunting down and ambushing 155th Naval Infantry Brigade platoons … and taking no prisoners.
—David Axe, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Viewers are ambushed by jarring visuals and ambitious moments of cinematography (there’s a dinner scene that is downright remarkable), proving that what many believe is one of Bergman’s lesser works is, perhaps, one of his most interesting.
—B.j. Colangelo, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ambush
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambush
Noun
-
This attack marked the deadliest strike in recent months, surpassing another assault just three days earlier that killed 10 civilians.Katya Soldak, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
-
Iranian tactics Iran and Israel have been waging a shadow espionage war for decades, using spies and informants to gather intelligence to carry out attacks against each other.Zeena Saifi, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The fastest way to get rid of roof rats involves a combination of trapping, sealing entry points and removing food and shelter: Set traps strategically: Use snap traps or electronic traps baited with peanut butter, fruit or nuts.Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024
-
Why Keyword Blocking Is The Wrong Measure In my opinion, creating blacklists of keywords is the most standard brand safety measure, as well as its most typical trap.Roman Vrublivskyi, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
McIntyre, a 33-year-old from Chicago, was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police on Tuesday evening at an event for foster children and charged with assaulting a government official.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
-
McIntyre was arrested Tuesday and charged with assaulting a government official, Capitol Police said.Emily Brooks, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The snare pictures—one of which notably captures the remnants of a meal eaten by Duchamp—would be returned to over and over by Spoerri, who claimed no ownership over the form, asserting that they could be produced by anyone, and required no signature.News Desk, Artforum, 27 Nov. 2024
-
In response, the wildlife commission voted to adopt a 36-hour trapping standard for mountain lions, ensuring that live animals are not held in traps or snares for longer than that duration.Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 21 June 2024
Verb
-
But those intentions were, in part, waylaid by a motion of impeachment that had already been initiated by the opposition party.Hakyung Kate Lee, ABC News, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Making matters worse, the strike paused waylaid the majority of the plane models making up Boeing’s order backlog.Melvin Backman, Quartz, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
That may surprise some, given that winter temperatures in the northern part of the province can plummet to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit.Sofia Perez, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
-
Animals bring a feel-good factor like little else, and no story captured that better than one in which a grieving grandma was surprised by a new golden retriever after losing her previous dog.Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
This Morning, This Evening, a kind of tapestry film capturing bits of the lives of Black Americans living in Alabama.Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 13 Dec. 2024
-
She had been sentenced in absentia to 25 years in prison and was captured in 2010 and began serving her sentence.Tim Arango, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near ambush
Cite this Entry
“Ambush.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambush. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share