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
He feels emotionally ambushed, and what plays out is as if Marriage Story were an absolute chucklefest, as Lestat gets increasingly worked up and jealous over Louis’s relationships with other men.
—
Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 15 June 2026
On June 27, 2016, a man was ambushed when his vehicle came to a stop in a residential neighborhood in San Jose.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 12 June 2026
Situated on Route 33 in Manalapan, this state park has preserved the 18th-century landscape of one of the biggest battles of the Revolutionary War, where the Continental Army ambushed the British army along their route from Philadelphia to New York City.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026
In one incident, a cooperating witness testifying in a shooting was allegedly ambushed by gang members and made to choose between overdosing on fentanyl and being shot, an incident corroborated by witnesses including a nine-year-old girl.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 9 June 2026
When the two met on Saturday afternoon, Crow-Armstrong ambushed a first-pitch in-zone splitter from Winn and turned the offspeed offering into a game-tying home run.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 8 June 2026
On July 15, 1992, Alex and Nickell were walking on Wimbledon Common in southwest London when they were ambushed.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
Three police officers and a civilian were among the latest victims when a gang ambushed them last week.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
Puckett allegedly ambushed two deputies during a welfare check Friday night, killing a military veteran and injuring a second officer.
—Alexandra Koch , Lorraine Taylor, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026
Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 15 June 2026
On June 27, 2016, a man was ambushed when his vehicle came to a stop in a residential neighborhood in San Jose.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 12 June 2026
Situated on Route 33 in Manalapan, this state park has preserved the 18th-century landscape of one of the biggest battles of the Revolutionary War, where the Continental Army ambushed the British army along their route from Philadelphia to New York City.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026
In one incident, a cooperating witness testifying in a shooting was allegedly ambushed by gang members and made to choose between overdosing on fentanyl and being shot, an incident corroborated by witnesses including a nine-year-old girl.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 9 June 2026
When the two met on Saturday afternoon, Crow-Armstrong ambushed a first-pitch in-zone splitter from Winn and turned the offspeed offering into a game-tying home run.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 8 June 2026
On July 15, 1992, Alex and Nickell were walking on Wimbledon Common in southwest London when they were ambushed.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
Three police officers and a civilian were among the latest victims when a gang ambushed them last week.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
Puckett allegedly ambushed two deputies during a welfare check Friday night, killing a military veteran and injuring a second officer.
—Alexandra Koch , Lorraine Taylor, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambushed
Verb
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The two sisters entered the restaurant, ran behind the counter and attacked the 23-year-old employee after they were given a wrong order, prosecutors said, according to the outlet.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
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Hundreds of people have been killed in fighting between the two countries since February, when Afghanistan attacked Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Some of the women said the male operators assaulted them after soliciting them for jet ski rides from small islands just east of Paradise Island, downtown Nassau, and Paradise Island beaches, according to the security alert.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
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While in custody, the sheriff's office said, the suspect assaulted the deputy.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Verb
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After making off with a substantial stack of cash from her job to fund a new life with boyfriend Sam Loomis (John Gavin), she gets waylaid by a rainstorm and stops to spend the night at the Bates Motel, run by awkward mama’s boy Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
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Then, minutes into the speech, Santos posted on X that he had been waylaid at the airport.—
Jake Offenhartz,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Allbirds surprised investors in April with plans to shift from making shoes to AI compute infrastructure and hardware.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
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Which almost surprised him in a sense.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Satellite image captured on July 29, 2024, shows the Alexander Mountain fire near Loveland, Colorado.—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
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After turning heads with $600 boots at her husband, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s, swearing-in ceremony, Duwaji has once again captured the attention of the fashion-obsessed with a look inspired by the New York Knicks.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ambushed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambushed. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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