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

• (Australia, 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.
   • 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.
   • Bible, Josh. viii. 19

     The ambush arose quickly out of their place.

Derived terms

• ambush marketing
• ambush journalism

Translations

a disposition or arrangement of troops for attacking an enemy unexpectedly from a concealed station

• Arabic: كَمِين m ‎(kamīn)
• 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)

• Czech: záloha (cs) f
• Dutch: hinderlaag (nl) m, f
• Finnish: väijytys
• French: embuscade (fr)
• German: Hinterhalt (de) m
• Greek: ενέδρα (el) f ‎(enédra)
• Hebrew: מארב m ‎(maarav)
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: csapda (hu)
• Indonesian: penyergapan (id)

• Italian: imboscata (it) f
• Japanese: 待ち伏せ ‎(まちぶせ, machibuse)
• Latin: īnsidiae f pl
• Macedonian: заседа f ‎(zaseda)
• Maori: kuratopuni, kauaeroa, torohē
• Polish: zasadzka (pl) f
• Portuguese: emboscada (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)
• Swedish: bakhåll (sv) n
• Tagalog: abat (tl)
• Turkish: pusu (tr), tuzak (tr)
• Vietnamese: đánh úp, mai phục (vi)

a concealed station

• Dutch: hinderlaag (nl) m, f
• French: embuscade (fr) f
• Hungarian: leshely (hu)

• Japanese: 不意打ち ‎(ふいうち, fuiuchi)
• Portuguese: tocaia (pt) f
• Swedish: bakhåll (sv) n

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 Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} imboscata f

• Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} pasala f

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.
   • Dryden

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

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

Translations

to station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy

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

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

• Finnish: väijyä (fi)
• German: einen Hinterhalt legen
• Hebrew: אָרַב ‎(aráv)

• Japanese: 待ち伏せする ‎(まちぶせする, machibuse suru)
• Maori: pehipehi, whakamoke
• 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 ‎(ふいうちする, fuiuchi suru)
• Maori: kauaeroa
• Portuguese: emboscar (pt)
• Russian: напада́ть из заса́ды impf ‎(napadátʹ iz zasády) (intransitive)
• Spanish: emboscar (es)

External links

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