1
as in attacks
a setup in which hidden attackers lie in wait
revolutionaries laid in ambush for the king along the route his carriage would travel
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in traps
a device or scheme for capturing another by surprise
thinking that he was getting into his assigned limousine, the diplomat did not realize that he was the victim of an ambush as he was being lured into his captor's car
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in assaults
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ambushes
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Hamas has used the tunnels to store weapons, hide hostages and stage ambushes of Israeli soldiers.
—Samuel Granados, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
In basic multiplayer fashion, there are bottlenecked spaces for ambushes, and everything loops together just fine for flanking.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Aside from games like volleyball and dominoes, Gach says some children stage fake ambushes on one another while pretending to be government forces or rebel fighters.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 5 Oct. 2025
Under an imperial decree, her captors become unlikely allies, guiding Jewish refugees through ambushes, shifting alliances and treacherous waters, while Sara confronts leadership, loyalty and love at a high cost.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
Two months later, the group launched more than two dozen attacks across northeastern Syria, relying on a combination of guerrilla tactics, including small arms fire, ambushes, assassinations, and improvised explosive devices targeting military checkpoints and government vehicles.
—Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 29 Nov. 2025
In the finale, Aggie — who has already been on the run from the authorities after Nile framed her for the kidnapping and murder of Teddy Fenig — ambushes Nina at her gallery and tries to convince her that Nile killed Maddie and was also responsible for Teddy’s death.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
In the Kill Bill movies, Uma Thurman stars as The Bride, left for dead after her former boss and lover Bill ambushes her wedding rehearsal, shooting her in the head and stealing her unborn child.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
In the months before the surge in operations, police lost 25 armored vehicles to ambushes involving barricades, trenches and Molotov cocktail attacks, authorities said.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Hamas has used the tunnels to store weapons, hide hostages and stage ambushes of Israeli soldiers.
—Samuel Granados, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
In basic multiplayer fashion, there are bottlenecked spaces for ambushes, and everything loops together just fine for flanking.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Aside from games like volleyball and dominoes, Gach says some children stage fake ambushes on one another while pretending to be government forces or rebel fighters.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 5 Oct. 2025
Under an imperial decree, her captors become unlikely allies, guiding Jewish refugees through ambushes, shifting alliances and treacherous waters, while Sara confronts leadership, loyalty and love at a high cost.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
Two months later, the group launched more than two dozen attacks across northeastern Syria, relying on a combination of guerrilla tactics, including small arms fire, ambushes, assassinations, and improvised explosive devices targeting military checkpoints and government vehicles.
—Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
Thurman stars as The Bride, left for dead after her former boss and lover Bill ambushes her wedding rehearsal, shooting her in the head and stealing her unborn child.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 29 Nov. 2025
In the finale, Aggie — who has already been on the run from the authorities after Nile framed her for the kidnapping and murder of Teddy Fenig — ambushes Nina at her gallery and tries to convince her that Nile killed Maddie and was also responsible for Teddy’s death.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
In the Kill Bill movies, Uma Thurman stars as The Bride, left for dead after her former boss and lover Bill ambushes her wedding rehearsal, shooting her in the head and stealing her unborn child.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambushes
Noun
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Even so, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) saw fresh drone and missile attacks Saturday morning.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
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The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has continued to launch retaliatory drone and missile attacks across the region, and a clerical body has been working to select the country's next supreme leader.—
Stefan Becket,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Saudi Aramco has offered prompt crude supply through a series of rare tenders, as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz traps shipments and forces a rerouting of flows via the Red Sea.—
Yongchang Chin,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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That mulch covering the not-so-lovely fabric traps wayward weed seeds and nurtures them.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The White House told ProPublica that anyone who assaults federal immigration agents would be prosecuted.—
Nicole Foy,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
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The Kid also physically assaults Apollonia at one point.—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Hi-hats and snares appear in fragmentary bursts, icy synths precipitate and evaporate, and Zel slithers wryly in the cut.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
25 Feb. 2026
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One photographer visited Uganda and captured the striking image of a mountain of snares, used to trap wildlife and confiscated by the nation’s rangers.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The five teams scatter to their work stations, bemoaning the 92-degree heat (no one complains about the noisy vroom vroom of the racecar driving around, which surprises me), and get to work.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
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The interesting question is by how much, and whether one of them surprises us.—
Patrick Iversen,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ambushes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambushes. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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