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
Relevance
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
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
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
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
Noun
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambushes
Noun
-
Each one would need to stock more interceptors and operate with escort ships to fend off attacks.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
Simple steps like version pinning or requiring a cool-down period before new library releases are available to developers can go a very long way toward blunting the supply chain attacks that are about to become far more common.—
Philip Martin,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The plants may have to be removed and monitoring traps may be placed in the area.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2026
-
Sinner with his changes of direction that turned neutral rallies into traps.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates or interferes with airline crew members can lead to penalties of up to $43,658 per violation, according to the FAA.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
3 May 2026
-
Any person who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crewmembers can face criminal charges and civil penalties costing up to $3,658 per violation, the statement read.—
CBS New York Team,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Magaletti ventures a tentative introduction of brushes on snares; following the muted peal of distant thunder, upsammy chimes in with a plangent synthesizer sequence reminiscent of Arovane and other IDM producers from around the turn of the millennium.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Conservationists-in-the-making can join hands-on efforts like removing poacher snares, clearing invasive plants, or collecting data on endangered species.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
If those dominoes start to fall in a way that surprises Wall Street, reactions will be much more adverse.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
-
Now, for the part that surprises most homeowners.—
Gary Singer,
Sun Sentinel,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ambushes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambushes. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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