Meaning & use
ambush
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A surprise attack from a hidden place.
Grammar: Countable for an event (an ambush); uncountable in 'lie in ambush'.
Patterns
- lie in ambush
- set an ambush for someone
- fall into an ambush
The convoy was destroyed in an ambush along the mountain road.
Wolves lie in ambush near the river.
The soldiers walked into an ambush.
verbtransitive
To attack someone suddenly from a hidden position.
Grammar: Takes an object, often in the passive: the patrol was ambushed.
Patterns
- ambush someone
- be ambushed by someone
Bandits ambushed the stagecoach at the bend in the road.
The lion ambushed a zebra at the waterhole.
Rebels ambushed the army patrol near the border.
verbtransitivefigurative
To surprise someone with questions or demands when they are not ready.
Grammar: Takes a person as the object and is often used for journalists or fans.
Patterns
- ambush someone with something
Reporters ambushed the minister with questions as he left the building.
Fans ambushed the singer outside her hotel.
My boss ambushed me with a new project right before the holiday.
Word forms
| plural | ambushes |
|---|---|
| third person singular | ambushes |
| past tense | ambushed |
| past participle | ambushed |
| -ing form | ambushing |
Common combinations
- lie in ambush
- Hunters lay in ambush near the watering hole.
- set up an ambush
- The rebels set up an ambush along the narrow pass.
- walk into an ambush
- The squad walked into an ambush at dawn.
- fall into an ambush
- The supply wagons fell into an ambush.
- ambush interview
- The journalist was criticized for an ambush interview outside the court.
Synonyms and how they differ
- surprise attack
- Surprise attack is a plain description, while ambush stresses attacking from concealment.
- trap
- A trap is a device or plan to catch someone, and does not always involve violence.
- waylay
- Waylay means to stop someone on the way to attack or speak to them, usually on a road.
- pounce
- Pounce describes the sudden jump and is used more for animals and quick actions.
Opposites
Word family
- ambusher noun
- a person who attacks from hiding
- ambushed adjective
- attacked by surprise
- ambuscade noun
- an old word for an ambush
Commonly confused: ambush or assault?
ambush vs assault
An assault is any violent attack and need not be a surprise. An ambush depends on surprise and hiding.
Practice
The patrol was ___ as it crossed the narrow bridge.
Choose one answer.
Ambushed means attacked suddenly from hiding, which fits a patrol at a narrow crossing. The other verbs describe harmless actions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ambush”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.