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.
   • 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

Terms derived from ambush

• ambush bug
• ambush journalism
• ambush marketing
• ambushable
• ambushee

• ambusher
• ambushment
• antiambush
• enambush

Translations

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

• 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)

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

  Ancient Greek: ἐνέδρα 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, urumaranga, pūniho
• 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), encerrona
• Swedish: bakhåll (sv) n
• Tagalog: abat (tl)
• Turkish: pusu (tr), tuzak (tr)
• Vietnamese: đánh úp, mai phục (vi)

a concealed station

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 埋伏 (zh)

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

• Japanese: 不意打ち (ja) (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 Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} imboscata (it) 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.
   • 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
• 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