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
When their convoy is brutally ambushed, they are left handcuffed together and, on the run, forcing her to put her life in his hands.
—
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026
Minnesotans whose names were also inscribed at the memorial and who are being recognized this week are Anoka County Sheriff’s Detention Deputy Richard Legler, who was ambushed nearly 40 years ago, and Red Lake tribal police officer Jesse Branch.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 13 May 2026
The victims were traveling to Verrettes when they were ambushed, reportedly by members of the Gran Grif gang.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 11 May 2026
This would be equivalent to your slow, steady and practical thought process (Mercury in Taurus) being ambushed by raw, unfiltered truths (Pluto in Aquarius).
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 5 May 2026
Once there, however, they’re ambushed by the same angry writers roasting Val on social media.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 May 2026
Tragically, before Creasy even begins to conceive of what’s happening, he and his entire team are ambushed.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Police said the officer was ambushed and shot outside department headquarters.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
The violence then shifted to Brookhaven, where Mathews was ambushed and shot several times outside a business center.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026
Minnesotans whose names were also inscribed at the memorial and who are being recognized this week are Anoka County Sheriff’s Detention Deputy Richard Legler, who was ambushed nearly 40 years ago, and Red Lake tribal police officer Jesse Branch.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 13 May 2026
The victims were traveling to Verrettes when they were ambushed, reportedly by members of the Gran Grif gang.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 11 May 2026
This would be equivalent to your slow, steady and practical thought process (Mercury in Taurus) being ambushed by raw, unfiltered truths (Pluto in Aquarius).
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 5 May 2026
Once there, however, they’re ambushed by the same angry writers roasting Val on social media.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 May 2026
Tragically, before Creasy even begins to conceive of what’s happening, he and his entire team are ambushed.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Police said the officer was ambushed and shot outside department headquarters.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
The violence then shifted to Brookhaven, where Mathews was ambushed and shot several times outside a business center.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambushed
Verb
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Moments after the landscaper was attacked, officers got a call about a car in the middle of the street nearby.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
19 May 2026
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Denise attacked Djena again, beating her until Mohamed and their eldest son, Ahmed, pulled her off.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Four years earlier, Gaff had barged into the home of Vesey and assaulted her while both her children, both under the age of 2, were in another room.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
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In a 4-3 decision, the appeals court found that Weinstein's trial judge allowed prosecutors to call women who said Weinstein had assaulted them to testify, even though their accusations did not specifically relate to the entertainment mogul's charges.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Ruff said on Sunday after the Sabres waylaid the Bruins 6-1 in Boston.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
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The Padres have gotten promising results from two reclamation projects in Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez, veterans who used to lead pitching staffs before Tommy John surgery waylaid them the past couple seasons.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Stewart later surprised Colbert with a few gifts to celebrate his time on The Late Show.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2026
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Employers are often surprised by this scrutiny.—
William Phillips,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
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No candidate has polled higher than 20-some percent — a testament to how many are in the running, but also an indication that none of them has truly captured the zeitgeist of today’s California.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
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Any natural satellites of Psyche could’ve been ejected from the body by ancient impacts—or might’ve even been captured from deep space by chance encounters as the asteroid drifted through the solar system.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ambushed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambushed. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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