as in attacked
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
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Recent Examples of ambushed
While refusing to fight for the Confederacy and trying to reach safety in Mexico, the group was ambushed by Confederate soldiers on horseback in the 1862 Battle of the Nueces, also called the Nueces massacre.
—
Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 10 Jan. 2026
The Colorado Avalanche ambushed the Ottawa Senators’ goaltenders so badly Thursday night, the visitors signed a new one in the middle of the game.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2026
In another high-profile attack, suspects ambushed authorities at the Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 7 Jan. 2026
The cartel was landing these planes on extremely rural roads out in West Texas, offloading their cargo, and the Texas Rangers ambushed them one night.
—William Earl, Variety, 22 Dec. 2025
Last Saturday, an Islamic State infiltrator ambushed a meeting between American soldiers and their local counterparts in a Syrian desert town.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
The pair had brought $3,000 and were ambushed in a parking lot and shot multiple times, authorities said.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
Police have made no arrest of either of the two people who opened fire on the two males who were ambushed.
—Charlotte Observer, 17 Dec. 2025
In 2010, while covering an event in Lara, a western state that has long been a government stronghold, he and several fellow journalists were ambushed by a mob of militants loyal to the regime.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 10 Jan. 2026
The Colorado Avalanche ambushed the Ottawa Senators’ goaltenders so badly Thursday night, the visitors signed a new one in the middle of the game.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2026
In another high-profile attack, suspects ambushed authorities at the Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 7 Jan. 2026
The cartel was landing these planes on extremely rural roads out in West Texas, offloading their cargo, and the Texas Rangers ambushed them one night.
—William Earl, Variety, 22 Dec. 2025
Last Saturday, an Islamic State infiltrator ambushed a meeting between American soldiers and their local counterparts in a Syrian desert town.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
The pair had brought $3,000 and were ambushed in a parking lot and shot multiple times, authorities said.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
Police have made no arrest of either of the two people who opened fire on the two males who were ambushed.
—Charlotte Observer, 17 Dec. 2025
In 2010, while covering an event in Lara, a western state that has long been a government stronghold, he and several fellow journalists were ambushed by a mob of militants loyal to the regime.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambushed
Verb
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Rabbi Perry Nussbaum, the congregation’s leader from the 1950s to the 70s, supported civil rights activists and helped found an interracial group of clergy to help rebuild Black churches attacked by white supremacists, according to the institute.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
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And, the dog attacked again after the owner failed to secure the dog in a separate room.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Gregory Bovino, who has been in Minneapolis this week, said on social media that protesters assaulted agents and there were four total arrests.—
Rebecca Santana,
Fortune,
10 Jan. 2026
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At those homes, she was repeatedly assaulted and became a victim of human trafficking, according to the lawsuit.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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They were supposed to come together at the Palm Springs Film Festival earlier this month, but DiCaprio got famously waylaid while traveling back from his Jeff Bezos yacht vacation.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
9 Jan. 2026
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Damon takes center stage as Odysseus, the brave and cunning king of Ithaca who gets waylaid for 10 years trying to return home to his loyal wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and dutiful son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), after playing a key role in the Trojan War.—
Oliver Gettell,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Some of her advice surprised me.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
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Bankers shouldn't be surprised that now Trump — who fears that Republicans could suffer in midterm elections in 2026 — would try to regain a bit of populist popularity with a 10 percent cap on credit card rates.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Photos captured the family sharing a laugh on the red carpet.—
Jessica Booth,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
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Last season, Patrick Henry High School’s girls soccer program captured its first-ever CIF San Diego Section Division 1 title.—
Clark Fahrenthold,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ambushed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambushed. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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