ambush
English
Etymology
From Middle EnglishCategory:English terms inherited from Middle English#AMBUSHCategory:English terms derived from Middle English#AMBUSH enbuschen, from Old FrenchCategory:English terms derived from Old French#AMBUSH enbuscier, anbuchier (verb) (whence Middle French embusche (noun)), from Old FrenchCategory:English terms derived from Old French#AMBUSH en- + Vulgar LatinCategory:English terms derived from Vulgar Latin#AMBUSH boscus (“wood”) (whence also bouquet), from FrankishCategory:English terms derived from Frankish#AMBUSH *busk (“bush”), from Proto-GermanicCategory:English terms derived from Proto-Germanic#AMBUSH *buskaz (“bush, heavy stick”). Compare ambuscade. The change to am- from earlier forms in en- is unexplained. More at bush.
Pronunciation
Noun
ambush (countable and uncountable, plural ambushes)Category:English lemmas#AMBUSHCategory:English nouns#AMBUSHCategory:English uncountable nouns#AMBUSHCategory:English countable nouns#AMBUSHCategory:English countable nouns#AMBUSHCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#AMBUSHCategory:Pages with entries#AMBUSHCategory:Pages with 1 entry#AMBUSH
- The act of concealing oneself and lying in wait to attack or kill by surprise.
- An attack launched from a concealed position.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
- Heaven, whose high walls fear no assault or siege / Or ambush from the deep.Category:English terms with quotations#AMBUSH
- The concealed position or state from which a surprise attack is launched.
- c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene ii:
- the Georgean hills,Category:English terms with quotations#AMBUSH
Whoſe tops are couered with Tartarian theeues,
That lie in ambuſh, waiting for a pray:
- 1922, Agatha Christie, “Chapter 17”, in The Secret Adversary:
- Therefore, why not wait in ambush for Conrad behind the door, and when he entered bring down a chair, or one of the decrepit pictures, smartly on to his head.Category:English terms with quotations#AMBUSH
- The troops posted in a concealed place, for attacking by surprise; those who lie in wait.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Joshua 8:19:
- And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ranne as soone as he had stretched out his hand: and they entred into the city, and tooke it, and hasted, and set the citie on fire.Category:English terms with quotations#AMBUSH
Derived terms
Descendants
- → Hebrew: אַמְבּוּשׁ (ámbush)
Translations
act
attack
troops
Category:Entries with translation boxes#AMBUSH
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
Verb
ambush (third-person singular simple present ambushes, present participle ambushing, simple past and past participle ambushed)Category:English lemmas#AMBUSHCategory:English verbs#AMBUSHCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#AMBUSHCategory:Pages with entries#AMBUSHCategory:Pages with 1 entry#AMBUSH
- (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#AMBUSH, obsoleteCategory:English terms with obsolete senses#AMBUSH) To station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy.
- 1665 (first performance), John Dryden, The Indian Emperour, or, The Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 9:
- By ambuſh’d men, behind their Temple laid, / VVe have the King of Mexico betray’d.Category:English terms with quotations#AMBUSH
- (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#AMBUSH) To attack by ambush; to waylay.
- Synonym: jump
- 2018 June 17, Barney Ronay, “Mexico’s Hirving Lozano stuns world champions Germany for brilliant win”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 5 August 2019:
- The contrast with the start was profound. In the opening 40 minutes Löw’s team had been ambushed here, the world champions run into a state of breathless trauma by a thrillingly vibrant Mexico attack.Category:English terms with quotations#AMBUSH
Derived terms
Translations
to station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy
to attack by ambush; to waylay
Further reading
- “ambush”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “ambush”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
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