ambush

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -æmbʊʃ

Noun

ambush (countable and uncountable, plural ambushes)

1. The act of concealing oneself and lying in wait to attack or kill by surprise.
2. An attack launched from a concealed position.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

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

3. The concealed position or state from which a surprise attack is launched.
   • c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene ii:

     the Georgean hills,
     Whoſe tops are couered with Tartarian theeues,
     That lie in ambuſh, waiting for a pray:

   • 1922, Agatha Christie, “Chapter 17”, in The Secret Adversary:

     Therefore, why not wait in ambush for Conrad behind the door, and when he entered bring down a chair, or one of the decrepit pictures, smartly on to his head.

4. The troops posted in a concealed place, for attacking by surprise; those who lie in wait.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Joshua 8:19:

     And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ranne as soone as he had stretched out his hand: and they entred into the city, and tooke it, and hasted, and set the citie on fire.

5. (collective) A group of tigers.

   Synonym: streak

   • 2026 July 21, Madison Hahnen, “Chris Palmer Joins Triple Tigers Records/AKANDO Music”, in Music Row‎^[1]:

     “Having Chris Palmer part of this ambush of tigers is so exciting. He brings the experience and creative juices, but most of all, the passion and fun we all love about this job,” says Braun.

   • 1973, Joan E. Cass, Books for the Under Fives‎^[2], National Book League, page 6:

     He outwits a positive ambush of tigers who want to eat him up and take his beautiful new clothes

Derived terms

• ambush bug
• ambushee
• ambusher
• ambush journalism
• ambush marketing
• ambushment
• ambush predator
• ambush television
• antiambush
• counterambush
• enambush
• lie in ambush
• patent ambush

Descendants

• → Hebrew: אַמְבּוּשׁ (ámbush)

Translations

act

• Albanian: pritë (sq), prit
• Apache:

  Western Apache: yidáh nehedzaa

• Arabic: كَمين m
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani: pusqu
• Belarusian: заса́да f (zasáda)
• Bulgarian: засада (bg) f (zasada)
• Esperanto: embusko (eo)
• Finnish: väijytys (fi)
• German: Hinterhalt (de) f
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: csapda (hu)
• Irish: luíochán m
• Italian: imboscata (it)
• Korean: 매복 (ko) (maebok)
• Macedonian: заседа f (zaseda)
• Mongolian: отолт (otolt)
• Old English: sǣt f
• Persian: کمین (fa) (kamin)
• Russian: заса́да (ru) f (zasáda)
• Spanish: emboscada (es) f, calada (es) f, zalagarda (es) f
• Turkish: pusu (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: پوصو (pusu)

• Welsh: rhagod m

attack

• Albanian: sulm (sq)
• Arabic: كَمِين m (kamīn)
• Armenian: հարձակում դարանից (harjakum daranicʻ)
• Azerbaijani: pusqu
• Belarusian: заса́да f (zasáda)
• Catalan: emboscada (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 遇袭 (zh) (yùxí), 偷袭 (zh) (tōuxí)

• Dutch: hinderlaag (nl) f
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: ylläkkö, yllätyshyökkäys (fi); tuliylläkkö (military)
• French: embuscade (fr) f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: orvtámadás (hu)
• Irish: luíochán m
• Italian: imboscata (it) f
• Kazakh: торуыл (toruwıl), тосқауыл (tosqawıl)
• Latin: aggresiō cum insidiā
• Māori: urumaranga
• Persian: کمین (fa) (kamin)
• Polish: zasadzka (pl) f
• Portuguese: emboscada (pt) f
• Romanian: ambuscadă (ro) f
• Russian: заса́да (ru) f (zasáda)
• Slovak: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: emboscada (es) f
• Tarifit: anday m
• Turkish: pusu (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: پوصو (pusu)

• Ukrainian: за́сідка f (zásidka), заса́да (uk) f (zasáda), підсі́дка f (pidsídka)
• Welsh: gosod (cy) m

troops

• Arabic: كَمِين m (kamīn)
• Azerbaijani: pusqu
• Finnish: väijytysjoukko
• French: embuscade (fr) f
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: کمین (fa) (kamin)
• Russian: заса́да (ru) f (zasáda)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Armenian: դարան (hy) (daran)
• Cherokee: ᎠᏓᎭᎷᏗ (adahaludi)
• Chinese:

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

  Mandarin: 埋伏 (zh) (máifú)

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

  Ancient Greek: ἐνέδρα f (enédra)

• Hebrew: מארב m (maarav)
• Hungarian: leshely (hu) ; csapda (hu)
• Indonesian: penyergapan (id)
• Italian: imboscata (it) f
• Japanese: 待ち伏せ (ja) (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)
• Māori: kuratopuni, kauaeroa, torohē, urumaranga, pūniho
• Polish: zasadzka (pl) f
• Portuguese: emboscada (pt) f ; tocaia (pt) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: за̑сједа f, за̑седа f

  Latin: zȃsjeda (sh) f, zȃseda (sh) f

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

Verb

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

1. (transitive, obsolete) To station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy.
   • 1665 (first performance), John Dryden, The Indian Emperour, or, The Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 9:

     By ambuſh’d men, behind their Temple laid, / VVe have the King of Mexico betray’d.

2. (transitive) To attack by ambush; to waylay.

   Synonym: jump

   • 2018 June 17, Barney Ronay, “Mexico’s Hirving Lozano stuns world champions Germany for brilliant win”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎^[3], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 5 August 2019:

     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.

Derived terms

• ambushable
• counterambush
• outambush
• unambushed

Translations

to station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy

• Armenian: դարանակալել (hy) (daranakalel)
• Azerbaijani: pusmaq
• Bulgarian: устройвам засада (ustrojvam zasada)
• Catalan: emboscar (ca)
• Cebuano: banhig
• Chinese:

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

• Finnish: väijyä (fi)
• French: embusquer (fr)
• German: einen Hinterhalt legen
• Greek: ενεδρεύω (el) (enedrévo)
• Hebrew: אָרַב (he) (aráv)
• Italian: tendere un agguato, agguatare (it)
• Japanese: 待ち伏せする (ja) (まちぶせする, machibuse suru)
• Kazakh: тосқауыл қою (tosqawıl qoyuw)
• Māori: pehipehi, whakamoke, haupapa
• Mongolian: отох (mn) (otox)
• Polish: zaczajać się impf, zaczaić się pf
• Portuguese: emboscar (pt)
• Russian: устра́ивать заса́ду impf (ustráivatʹ zasádu) (intransitive)
• Spanish: emboscar (es)
• Swedish: ligga i bakhåll
• Tagalog: abatan
• Thai: ดักรอ

to attack by ambush; to waylay

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: դարանակալել (hy) (daranakalel)
• Bulgarian: причаквам (bg) (pričakvam), нападам от засада (napadam ot zasada)
• Catalan: emboscar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: hyökkää väijyksistä (+ genitive +) kimppuun, väijyttää
• French: embusquer (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: aus dem Hinterhalt angreifen
• Hungarian: lesből támad
• Indonesian: sergapan (id)
• Italian: agguatare (it)
• Japanese: 不意打ちする (ja) (ふいうちする, fuiuchi suru)
• Khmer: ឡោមព័ទ្ធ (laom pŏət)
• Latin: impetō cum insidiā
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Malay: sergap, serangan hendap
• Māori: kauaeroa, whakamoho, whakamoke, haupapa, tāwhanga
• Polish: wciągać w zasadzkę impf, wciągnąć w zasadzkę pf, zaczajać się impf, zaczaić się pf
• Portuguese: emboscar (pt)
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: напада́ть из заса́ды impf (napadátʹ iz zasády) (intransitive)
• Spanish: emboscar (es)
• Thai: ซุ่มโจมตี
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• “ambush”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “ambush”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.