Synonyms of ambushes

ambushes 1 of 2

noun

plural of ambush

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

• attacks
• ambushments
• traps
• ambuscades
• surprises
• assaults
• sallies
• snares
• charges
• mousetraps
• captures
• entrapments
• huntings

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

• traps
• snares
• ruses
• nets
• webs
• deceptions
• tricks
• entanglements
• hazards
• snags
• subterfuges
• envelopments
• pitfalls
• land mines
• catches
• entrapments
• booby traps
• artifices
• cheats
• duplicities
• ploys
• enmeshments
• double-dealings

ambushes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of ambush

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

• attacks
• assaults
• surprises
• waylays
• ambuscades
• traps
• captures
• hunts
• storms
• strikes
• sallies
• snares
• jumps
• stalks
• tackles
• assails
• nets
• entraps
• pounces (on)
• ensnares
• charges
• preys (on or upon)
• mugs
• mousetraps

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ambushes

Noun

By his spiritual discernment, the prophet Elisha was repeatedly able to warn the king of Israel about ambushes planned by the king of Syria. — Liesl Ehmke, Christian Science Monitor, 29 June 2026

Cuba also maintains elite forces trained for counter-special-operations missions, guerrilla warfare, ambushes, sabotage and close protection of senior leaders. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026

Even in areas not under its direct control, the widespread sympathy in rural areas allows JNIM to set up ambushes along the main roads and dominate the main supply routes into the capitals, especially in Mali. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 10 May 2026

Service members could face ambushes en route, and specialized units would need to extract the uranium. — Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026

Once an octopus ambushes and bites its prey, the venom in its saliva paralyzes the prey, allowing the octopus to consume it. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 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

Verb

All seems lost when a group of Stormtroopers ambushes the crew, but IG-11 heroically sacrifices himself to save them. — Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 21 May 2026

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