Thesaurus results for AMBUSHED

ambushed

verb

past tense of ambush

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ambushed Since mid-October, violence in the administrative district of Croix-des-Bouquets, where the Salvadoran technicians were ambushed, has displaced around 2,000 people, according to the International Organization for Migration. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 13 Nov. 2026 Sweet, who was 17, was at the park for a drug deal when the co-defendants ambushed him, according to arrest warrant affidavits. — Emerson Clarridge updated November 10, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Nov. 2026 The vote took place almost three months to the day after four police officers in their squad cars wrongfully ambushed my wife and me after using Flock cameras to track us for days. — Joel Feder, The Drive, 4 Nov. 2026 The alleged assault on restaurant employees Investigators said Gonzalez ambushed the employee, repeatedly punching him in the face with closed fists, knocking him to the ground, and continuing to strike him. — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026 The gunman ambushed Thompson, a Minnesota father of two, firing several times before fleeing and setting off an interstate manhunt. — Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 31 Oct. 2026 Al-Shabab said its fighters ambushed a convoy advancing into territory under its control. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026 Task Force were returning to their camp Sunday in a white all-terrain Toyota when they were ambushed by heavily armed criminals, according to the Salvadoran military. — Widlore Mérancourt, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026 In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in Karak, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists, killing 10 people, including seven officers, and wounding dozens. — Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambushed

Verb

Anyone who follows Florida news knows that the concept of open government isn’t just under threat in this state; it’s being aggressively attacked.

— Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Nov. 2026
Police developed a theory that Rebekah had been attacked in the trailer and then forcibly removed.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of attacked

Verb

Briana Winkle says her son's school principal called to tell her there was video footage of her 7-year-old son, Maddox, being physically assaulted by his teacher inside his special education classroom.

— Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2026
The members of Transport Workers Union Local 100 are constantly assaulted in incidents ranging from a punch in the face to one in which a train operator was stabbed 11 times and nearly killed.

— John Chiarello, New York Daily News, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of assaulted

Verb

With all that swirling around them, the presidential motorcade meant to bring Kate, Hal, Grace, and Todd back to Air Force One gets waylaid by protesters blocking the entrance to Heathrow airport.

— Adam B. Vary, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
In the film Rap World (which Bensinger also edited), Bensinger, O’Malley, and Rahill play suburban deadbeats eager to make an album, each man waylaid by his own hubris and distractions.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of waylaid

Verb

More than the incredible sights, what surprised him most about his visit to the Washington state national park was that little noise penetrated from beyond the verdant canopies.

— Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 14 Nov. 2026
Even some of Google's longtime partners are surprised by the company's current position, including superintendent Hank Thiele in Illinois.

— Sequoia Carrillo, NPR, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of surprised

Verb

Security camera footage captured the children arriving to seek help as gunfire could still be heard in the distance.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Nov. 2026
Democrats captured seven Senate seats nationally, a number that could rise to nine with two races yet to be called.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of captured

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ambushed

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“Ambushed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambushed. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of ambushed

verb

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