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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of ambushing
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
The entertainment giant accused Sling TV’s parent of ambushing it with the offering, allegedly without consultation, to capitalize on the starts of the college football and NFL seasons.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
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
The entertainment giant accused Sling TV’s parent of ambushing it with the offering, allegedly without consultation, to capitalize on the starts of the college football and NFL seasons.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambushing
Verb
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The American always had the engine and work rate to flit between defensive and attacking duties in a central midfield berth.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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Iran's state television said Wednesday that the Islamic Republic would be attacking oil and gas infrastructure in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after an attack on facilities associated with its offshore South Pars natural gas field.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The decision was made Thursday after a 2023 video surfaced showing the season’s star, Taylor Frankie Paul, assaulting her then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.—
Julianna Duennes Russ,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Mar. 2026
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In addition to accusations Chávez abused minors and women, his longtime ally Dolores Huerta accused Chávez of assaulting her, too.—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Then be sure to check out our collection of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography, along with our beginners guide to capturing the glowing band of the Milky Way with a DSLR camera.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
15 Mar. 2026
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The film unfolds through poetic and carefully composed images of the girls journeying through the mountainous landscape – an environment that reflects the girls’ inner world, according to Chen, capturing that fragile moment before childhood gives way to adulthood.—
Lise Pedersen,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ambushing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambushing. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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