ambush


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am·bush

 (ăm′bo͝osh)
n.
1. A sudden attack made from a concealed position.
2.
a. Those hiding in order to attack by surprise: The captain stationed an ambush near the harbor.
b. The hiding place used for such an attack: "Uncle Harm had hunted the way Trapper did—on foot, stalking and laying traps, shooting from ambush" (Rick Bass).
tr.v. am·bushed, am·bush·ing, am·bush·es
To attack from a concealed position.

[Middle English embushen, to place in concealment among bushes, lay in wait, from Old French embuschier, from Frankish *boscu, bush, woods.]

am′bush′er n.
Synonyms: ambush, bushwhack, waylay
These verbs mean to attack suddenly and without warning from a concealed place: guerrillas ambushing a platoon; a patrol bushwhacked by poachers; a truck waylaid by robbers.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ambush

(ˈæmbʊʃ)
n
1. (Military) the act of waiting in a concealed position in order to launch a surprise attack
2. (Military) a surprise attack from such a position
3. (Military) the concealed position from which such an attack is launched
4. (Military) the person or persons waiting to launch such an attack
vb
5. to lie in wait (for)
6. (tr) to attack suddenly from a concealed position
[C14: from Old French embuschier to position in ambush, from em- im- + -buschier, from busche piece of firewood, probably of Germanic origin; see bush1]
ˈambusher n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

am•bush

(ˈæm bʊʃ)

n.
1. an act or instance of lying concealed so as to attack by surprise: The highwaymen waited in ambush near the road.
2. an act or instance of attacking unexpectedly from a concealed position.
3. the concealed position itself: They fired from ambush.
4. those who attack suddenly and unexpectedly from a concealed position.
v.t.
5. to attack from ambush.
v.i.
6. to lie in ambush.
[1250–1300; Middle English enbuss(h)en < Middle French embuschier literally, to set in the woods « Vulgar Latin *busca wood, forest]
am′bush•er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ambush

 a group of troops of persons concealed or lying in wait for their prey.
Examples: ambush of amber coloured darts [referring to a lady’s hair], 1592; of envy, 1751; of error, 1852; of tigers; of widows—Lipton, 1970.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

ambush


Past participle: ambushed
Gerund: ambushing

Imperative
ambush
ambush
Present
I ambush
you ambush
he/she/it ambushes
we ambush
you ambush
they ambush
Preterite
I ambushed
you ambushed
he/she/it ambushed
we ambushed
you ambushed
they ambushed
Present Continuous
I am ambushing
you are ambushing
he/she/it is ambushing
we are ambushing
you are ambushing
they are ambushing
Present Perfect
I have ambushed
you have ambushed
he/she/it has ambushed
we have ambushed
you have ambushed
they have ambushed
Past Continuous
I was ambushing
you were ambushing
he/she/it was ambushing
we were ambushing
you were ambushing
they were ambushing
Past Perfect
I had ambushed
you had ambushed
he/she/it had ambushed
we had ambushed
you had ambushed
they had ambushed
Future
I will ambush
you will ambush
he/she/it will ambush
we will ambush
you will ambush
they will ambush
Future Perfect
I will have ambushed
you will have ambushed
he/she/it will have ambushed
we will have ambushed
you will have ambushed
they will have ambushed
Future Continuous
I will be ambushing
you will be ambushing
he/she/it will be ambushing
we will be ambushing
you will be ambushing
they will be ambushing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been ambushing
you have been ambushing
he/she/it has been ambushing
we have been ambushing
you have been ambushing
they have been ambushing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been ambushing
you will have been ambushing
he/she/it will have been ambushing
we will have been ambushing
you will have been ambushing
they will have been ambushing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been ambushing
you had been ambushing
he/she/it had been ambushing
we had been ambushing
you had been ambushing
they had been ambushing
Conditional
I would ambush
you would ambush
he/she/it would ambush
we would ambush
you would ambush
they would ambush
Past Conditional
I would have ambushed
you would have ambushed
he/she/it would have ambushed
we would have ambushed
you would have ambushed
they would have ambushed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.ambush - the act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surpriseambush - the act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surprise
coup de main, surprise attack - an attack without warning
dry-gulching - the act of killing from ambush
Verb1.ambush - wait in hiding to attackambush - wait in hiding to attack    
wait - stay in one place and anticipate or expect something; "I had to wait on line for an hour to get the tickets"
2.ambush - hunt (quarry) by stalking and ambushingambush - hunt (quarry) by stalking and ambushing
hunt, hunt down, track down, run - pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals); "Goering often hunted wild boars in Poland"; "The dogs are running deer"; "The Duke hunted in these woods"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

ambush

verb
1. trap, attack, surprise, deceive, dupe, ensnare, waylay, ambuscade, bushwhack (U.S.) Rebels ambushed and killed 10 patrolmen.
noun
1. trap, snare, attack, lure, waylaying, ambuscade A policeman has been shot dead in an ambush.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

ambush

noun
An attack or stratagem for capturing or tricking an unsuspecting person:
verb
To attack suddenly and without warning:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
كَمِينهُجُوم بِالكَمِينالكَامِنُون
útok ze zálohyzálohačíhatnapadnout ze zálohyútočníci ze zálohy
angrebangribebagholdbagholdsangrebligge i baghold
väijytysväijyä
zasjeda
csapdalesbõl támadlesbõl támadó csapatleshelytámadás lesbõl
fyrirsátgera fyrirsátumsátursmenn
待ち伏せ
매복
pasalaužpulti iš pasalų
slēpnisuzbrukt no slēpņa
jednotka v zálohenapadnúť zo zálohyútok zo zálohy
pripraviti zasedozaseda
bakhåll
การซุ่มโจมตี
pusupusu kurmakpusudan saldırantuzak
cuộc phục kích

ambush

[ˈæmbʊʃ]
A. Nemboscada f
to set or lay an ambush fortender una emboscada a
to lie in ambushestar emboscado (for para coger)
B. VTcazar por sorpresa, agarrar por sorpresa (LAm)
to be ambushedcaer en una emboscada, ser cazado por sorpresa
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ambush

[ˈæmbʊʃ]
n
(= attack) → embuscade f
to wait in ambush, to lie in ambush [soldiers, police, gunmen] → se tenir en embuscade
to wait in ambush for sb, to lie in ambush for sb [soldiers, police, gunmen] → tendre une embuscade à qn
(fig) to wait in ambush [journalists, press, reporters] to lie in ambush → se tenir en embuscade
to wait in ambush for sb, to lie in ambush for sb [journalists, press, reporters] → tendre une embuscade à qn
vt
[soldiers, police, gunmen] → tendre une embuscade à
[journalists, press, reporters] → tendre une embuscade à
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

ambush

n (= place)Hinterhalt m; (= troops etc)im Hinterhalt liegende Truppe/Guerillas etc; (= attack)Überfall m(aus dem Hinterhalt); to lay an ambush (for somebody)(jdm) einen Hinterhalt legen; to lie or wait in ambush (Mil, fig) → im Hinterhalt liegen; to lie in ambush for somebody (Mil, fig) → jdm im Hinterhalt auflauern; to fall into an ambushin einen Hinterhalt geraten
vt(aus dem Hinterhalt) überfallen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

ambush

[ˈæmbʊʃ]
1. n (attack) → imboscata, agguato; (place) → agguato
to lie in ambush → stare in agguato
to lie in ambush for sb → tendere un'imboscata a qn
2. vttendere un'imboscata a qn
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

ambush

(ˈӕmbuʃ) verb
to wait in hiding for and make a surprise attack on. They planned to ambush the enemy as they marched towards the capital.
noun
1. an attack made in this way.
2. the group of people making the attack.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

ambush

كَمِيـن útok ze zálohy baghold Hinterhalt ενέδρα emboscada väijytys embuscade zasjeda imboscata 待ち伏せ 매복 hinderlaag bakhold zasadzka emboscada засада bakhåll การซุ่มโจมตี tuzak cuộc phục kích 埋伏
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
Natasha, very still, peered out from her ambush, waiting to see what he would do.
Rival trapping parties Manoeuvring A desperate game Vanderburgh and the Blackfeet Deserted camp fire A dark defile An Indian ambush A fierce melee Fatal consequences Fitzpatrick and Bridger Trappers precautions Meeting with the Blackfeet More fighting Anecdote of a young Mexican and an Indian girl.
A Lion lay in ambush in the hope of making them his prey, but was afraid to attack them while they kept together.
I would mend the tire, having attended ambulance classes, do it very quietly so that she wouldn't hear, like the fairy cobblers who used to mend people's boots while they slept, and then wait in ambush to watch the effect upon her when she awoke.
If in the neighborhood of your camp there should be any hilly country, ponds surrounded by aquatic grass, hollow basins filled with reeds, or woods with thick undergrowth, they must be carefully routed out and searched; for these are places where men in ambush or insidious spies are likely to be lurking.
So he hired some villains to murder him; and having shown them where to lie in ambush, he went to his brother, and said, 'Dear brother, I have found a hidden treasure; let us go and dig it up, and share it between us.' The other had no suspicions of his roguery: so they went out together, and as they were travelling along, the murderers rushed out upon him, bound him, and were going to hang him on a tree.
Lieutenant Charpentier, who had been bringing up the rear of the column, now came running to the scene, and on hearing the details of the ambush ordered the men to follow him, and plunged into the tangled vegetation.
He ate burnt flesh when he would have preferred it raw and unspoiled, and he brought down game with arrow or spear when he would far rather have leaped upon it from ambush and sunk his strong teeth in its jugular; but at last the call of the milk of the savage mother that had suckled him in infancy rose to an insistent demand--he craved the hot blood of a fresh kill and his muscles yearned to pit themselves against the savage jungle in the battle for existence that had been his sole birthright for the first twenty years of his life.
If white men come too near they must be shot - carefully and from ambush. He leaned back with the air of desiring the conference to cease.
"You only got me that last," Tudor grunted sullenly, "lying in ambush like--"
It was a piece of an ice-floe melted down to a fragment, but still big enough to sink a ship, and floating lower than any raft, right in our way, as if ambushed among the waves with murderous intent.
We durst not stay long in this place for fear of the Galles, who lay their ambushes more particularly near this well, by which all caravans must necessarily pass.