Synonyms of ambush

ambush 1 of 2

noun

1

as in attack

a setup in which hidden attackers lie in wait

revolutionaries laid in ambush for the king along the route his carriage would travel

Synonyms & Similar Words

• attack
• ambushment
• trap
• surprise
• ambuscade
• assault
• capture
• hunting
• snare
• charge
• entrapment
• sally
• stalking
• mousetrap

2

as in trap

a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise

thinking that he was getting into his assigned limousine, the diplomat did not realize that he was the victim of an ambush as he was being lured into his captor's car

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trap
• snare
• ruse
• web
• net
• deception
• trick
• envelopment
• entrapment
• subterfuge
• hazard
• entanglement
• catch
• snag
• pitfall
• duplicity
• cheat
• land mine
• ploy
• cheating
• booby trap
• enmeshment
• double-dealing
• artifice

ambush

2 of 2

verb

ˈam-ˌbu̇sh 

as in to attack

to lie in wait for and attack by surprise

the king's enemies planned to ambush the royal coach on the way to Paris and capture the king

Synonyms & Similar Words

• attack
• assault
• waylay
• surprise
• capture
• ambuscade
• trap
• hunt
• strike
• storm
• assail
• stalk
• jump
• tackle
• snare
• entrap
• ensnare
• pounce (on)
• sally
• charge
• net
• mug
• prey (on or upon)
• mousetrap

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ambush

Noun

The Cubs were the subsequent, unsuspecting victims of a 5-1 ambush. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 7 July 2026

The stare, in this context, was the correct emotional response to an ambush. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 July 2026

Verb

According to prosecutors, a group of gunmen later tracked Bowman to Los Angeles in 2022, then stalked and ambushed him at a gas station near the Beverly Center, firing at least 18 rounds from multiple weapons, including a machine gun. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2026

On May 17, 1777, a group of British soldiers, loyalist militia and Native Americans ambushed Georgia Patriots near the mouth of Thomas Creek, near what is now the Jacksonville airport. — Lane Degregory, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2026