as in attacking
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 ambushing
Grass lines in 8 to 15 feet of water make a perfect location for ambushing their prey and hiding from other predatory fish like muskies.
—
Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026
Rajabi was therefore reduced to meeting Khamenei by ambushing him after evening prayers in his compound.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2026
The man accused of ambushing West Virginia National Guard members near the White House in November, killing one and severely wounding another, is set to be arraigned in court on Wednesday.
—Steve Beynon, ABC News, 4 Feb. 2026
The man accused of ambushing two West Virginia National Guard members in a shooting in the nation's capital, killing one and wounding another, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Among the Builsa people, songs are still sung about retreating from slave raiders into rocky and cavernous areas, and then ambushing them.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Over the past two months, JNIM has stepped up attacks on fuel supplies, ambushing tankers on the roads from Ivory Coast and Senegal.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
After ambushing Fuller at her mansion, Teddy and his accomplice/cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) knock her unconscious with a tranquilizer and load her into the backseat of her own car.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
The offense also turned in another strong performance, ambushing Scherzer for three runs out of the gate before later getting home runs from Masataka Yoshida and Carlos Narvaez to turn the game into a rout.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026
Rajabi was therefore reduced to meeting Khamenei by ambushing him after evening prayers in his compound.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2026
The man accused of ambushing West Virginia National Guard members near the White House in November, killing one and severely wounding another, is set to be arraigned in court on Wednesday.
—Steve Beynon, ABC News, 4 Feb. 2026
The man accused of ambushing two West Virginia National Guard members in a shooting in the nation's capital, killing one and wounding another, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Among the Builsa people, songs are still sung about retreating from slave raiders into rocky and cavernous areas, and then ambushing them.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Over the past two months, JNIM has stepped up attacks on fuel supplies, ambushing tankers on the roads from Ivory Coast and Senegal.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
After ambushing Fuller at her mansion, Teddy and his accomplice/cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) knock her unconscious with a tranquilizer and load her into the backseat of her own car.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
The offense also turned in another strong performance, ambushing Scherzer for three runs out of the gate before later getting home runs from Masataka Yoshida and Carlos Narvaez to turn the game into a rout.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambushing
Verb
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For any politician unwilling or unable to persuade the public with facts and strong rebuttals, attacking the messenger becomes the path of least resistance.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Apr. 2026
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When attacking adult or adolescent males, Sandel said the chimpanzees use collective violence.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The lawyers had argued that a history of assaulting women didn’t make Combs guilty of the crimes charged.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
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Philadelphia sports radio personality Mike Missanelli was arrested early Wednesday morning for allegedly assaulting his fiancee, police said.—
Laura Fay,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even if the crewmates are successful in capturing their images, Artemis 2's Earthrise (and Earthset) images won't look exactly like Apollo 8's.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
5 Apr. 2026
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Prime lunar views During the flyby, the astronauts will split into pairs and take turns capturing the lunar views out their windows with cameras.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ambushing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambushing. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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