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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of ambushed
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said an ICE agent shot a Venezuelan national in the leg after agents were allegedly ambushed and attacked with a shovel.
—
Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026
When their convoy is brutally ambushed, Amber is forced to put her life in Tibor’s hands.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2026
But when the Athena attempts to investigate a space anomaly, they are ambushed by Nus Braka and his gang.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
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
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
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
Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026
When their convoy is brutally ambushed, Amber is forced to put her life in Tibor’s hands.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2026
But when the Athena attempts to investigate a space anomaly, they are ambushed by Nus Braka and his gang.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambushed
Verb
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One study in 2020 surveyed 261 herders in Mongolia, another common habitat for snow leopards; while many reported having seen snow leopards, or had their livestock attacked by snow leopards, none reported any attacks on humans.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
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The upstream piranhas attacked her, and her blood flowing downstream attracted the rest of the piranhas, leaving the creek clear for the herd to cross.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By the time the melee had subsided, responding police officers determined that three men had been shot and a woman had been assaulted.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Earlier in the festival, Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost was the victim of a racially motivated assaulted at a CAA party.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In addition, the multiple injuries have waylaid his development.—
Anthony Bettin,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
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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
Verb
-
Here's how Trump surprised the world.—
,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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The commitment to the character on the part of the puppeteers also surprised the celebrity guests.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Without the fear of being captured mid-tear or mid-questionable dance moves, people are quicker to let their guards down and enjoy themselves fully.—
Nikita Khanna,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 2026
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Their work consisted of a neuromorphic sensor that captured the actions of Braille readers.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ambushed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambushed. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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