ambush

English

Etymology

From Old French verb enbuscier, anbuchier (whence the Middle French noun embusche), from Old French en- + Vulgar Latin boscus, bosca, boscum (“wood”), from Frankish *boscu, *busk (“bush”), from Proto-Germanic *busk- (“bush, heavy stick”). Compare ambuscade. The change to am- from earlier forms in en- is unexplained. More at bush.

Pronunciation

• (General Australian, US, UK) IPA^(key): /ˈæm.bʊʃ/

Noun

ambush (plural ambushes)

1. The act of concealing oneself and lying in wait to attack by surprise.
2. An attack launched from a concealed position.
   • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton

     Heaven, whose high walls fear no assault or siege / Or ambush from the deep.

3. The troops posted in a concealed place, for attacking by surprise; those who lie in wait.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, Josh. viii. 19

     The ambush arose quickly out of their place.

Derived terms

• ambushable
• ambush bug
• ambushee
• ambusher
• ambush journalism
• ambush marketing
• ambushment
• antiambush
• enambush

 

Translations

act

• Finnish: väijytys

• Hindi: please add this translation if you can

attack

• Finnish: ylläkkö, yllätyshyökkäys; tuliylläkkö (military)

• Hindi: please add this translation if you can

troops

• Finnish: väijytysjoukko

• Hindi: please add this translation if you can

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: كَمِين‎ m (kamīn)
• Armenian: դարան (hy) (daran)
• Bulgarian: засада (bg) f (zasáda), клопка (bg) f (klópka)
• Cherokee: ᎠᏓᎭᎷᏗ (adahaludi)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 埋伏 (zh) (máifu), 伏擊 (zh), 伏击 (zh) (fújī)

  Mandarin: 埋伏 (zh)

• Czech: záloha (cs) f
• Danish: bagholdsangreb n, baghold n ; baghold n
• Dutch: hinderlaag (nl) m, f ; hinderlaag (nl) m, f
• French: embuscade (fr) ; embuscade (fr) f
• German: Hinterhalt (de) m
• Greek: ενέδρα (el) f (enédra)

  Ancient: ἐνέδρα f (enédra)

• Hebrew: מארב‎ m (maarav)
• Hungarian: leshely (hu) ; csapda (hu)
• Indonesian: penyergapan (id)
• Italian: imboscata (it) f

• Japanese: 待ち伏せ (まちぶせ, machibuse) ; 不意打ち (ja) (ふいうち, fuiuchi)
• Latin: īnsidiae f pl
• Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} pasala f
• Macedonian: заседа f (zaseda)
• Maori: kuratopuni, kauaeroa, torohē, urumaranga, pūniho
• Polish: zasadzka (pl) f
• Portuguese: emboscada (pt) f ; tocaia (pt) f
• Russian: заса́да (ru) f (zasáda)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: за̑сједа f (Ijekavian), за̑седа f (Ekavian)

  Roman: zȃsjeda (sh) f (Ijekavian), zȃseda (sh) f (Ekavian)

• Spanish: emboscada (es), encerrona
• Swedish: bakhåll (sv) n ; bakhåll (sv) n
• Tagalog: abat (tl)
• Turkish: pusu (tr), tuzak (tr)
• Vietnamese: đánh úp, mai phục (vi)

Verb

ambush (third-person singular simple present ambushes, present participle ambushing, simple past and past participle ambushed)

1. (transitive) To station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Dryden

     By ambushed men behind their temple laid / We have the king of Mexico betrayed.

2. (transitive) To attack by ambush; to waylay.
   • 17 June 2018, Barney Ronay, The Guardian, Mexico’s Hirving Lozano stuns world champions Germany for brilliant win:

     The contrast with the start was profound. In the opening 40 minutes Löw’s team had been ambushed here, the world champions run into a state of breathless trauma by a thrillingly vibrant Mexico attack.

Translations

to station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy

• Armenian: դարանակալել (hy) (daranakalel)
• Bulgarian: устройвам засада (ustrojvam zasada)
• Cebuano: banhig
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 伏擊 (zh), 伏击 (zh) (fújī), 打埋伏 (zh) (dǎ máifu)

• Finnish: väijyä (fi)
• German: einen Hinterhalt legen
• Greek: ενεδρεύω (el) (enedrévo)

• Hebrew: אָרַב‎ (aráv)
• Japanese: 待ち伏せする (まちぶせする, machibuse suru)
• Maori: pehipehi, whakamoke, haupapa
• Portuguese: emboscar (pt)
• Russian: устра́ивать заса́ду impf (ustráivatʹ zasádu) (intransitive)
• Spanish: emboscar (es)
• Swedish: ligga i bakhåll
• Tagalog: abatan

to attack by ambush; to waylay

• Armenian: դարանակալել (hy) (daranakalel)
• Bulgarian: причаквам (bg) (pričakvam), нападам от засада (napadam ot zasada)
• Finnish: hyökkää väijyksistä (+ genitive +) kimppuun, väijyttää
• German: aus dem Hinterhalt angreifen
• Indonesian: sergapan (id)

• Japanese: 不意打ちする (ja) (ふいうちする, fuiuchi suru)
• Maori: kauaeroa, whakamoho, whakamoke, haupapa, tāwhanga
• Portuguese: emboscar (pt)
• Russian: напада́ть из заса́ды impf (napadátʹ iz zasády) (intransitive)
• Spanish: emboscar (es)

Further reading

• ambush at OneLook Dictionary Search
• ambush in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911