Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A sudden attack made from a concealed position.
- noun Those hiding in order to attack by surprise.
- noun The hiding place used for such an attack.
- transitive verb To attack from a concealed position.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To post or place in concealment for the purpose of attacking by surprise.
- To ambuscade; waylay; attack unexpectedly and from a hidden position.
- To lie in wait for the purpose of attacking by surprise.
- noun The act or state of lying concealed for the purpose of attacking by surprise; a lying in wait; the act of attacking unexpectedly from a concealed position.
- noun A secret or concealed station where troops lie in wait to attack unawares.
- noun The troops posted in a concealed place for attacking by surprise.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A disposition or arrangement of troops for attacking an enemy unexpectedly from a concealed station. Hence: Unseen peril; a device to entrap; a snare.
- noun A concealed station, where troops or enemies lie in wait to attack by surprise.
- noun obsolete The troops posted in a concealed place, for attacking by surprise; liers in wait.
- noun to post a force in ambush.
- transitive verb To station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy.
- transitive verb To attack by ambush; to waylay.
- intransitive verb To lie in wait, for the purpose of attacking by surprise; to lurk.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The act of concealing oneself and lying in wait to attack by surprise.
- noun An attack launched from a concealed position.
- verb transitive To station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy.
- verb transitive To attack by ambush; to waylay.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb wait in hiding to attack
- verb hunt (quarry) by stalking and ambushing
- noun the act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surprise
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which counts three million members, said it filed a lawsuit Tuesday night to challenge what it called the "ambush election rule."
Unions Win More Freedom to Organize in Workplace Melanie Trottman 2011
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The apparent resignation came as the Syrian government said it would take swift action against what it described as an ambush by armed groups that resulted in the death of 120 police and security-force members in a northwestern town.
Defection Of Syrian Envoy Is in Doubt David Gauthier-Villars 2011
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The apparent resignation came as the Syrian government said it would take swift action against what it described as an ambush by armed groups that resulted in the death of 120 police and security-force members in a northwestern town.
Defection Of Syrian Envoy Is in Doubt David Gauthier-Villars 2011
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ANDERSON: Redford also criticized what he calls the ambush marketers who descend upon the Sundance Film Festival every year to sell their products and also get free publicity through the celebrity.
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"You only got me that last," Tudor grunted sullenly, "lying in ambush like --"
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One group would set off and wait in ambush for the second group, they would jump out of bushes and drop down from branches and some real tough fighting took place.
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Pinned down in ambush, get your ass over here stat!
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And as to using her apology as proof that your (mis?) reading was right: the best way to escape an ambush is from the direction you entered it.
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King knew that journalists would be at the event, so any charge of ambush is absurd.
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I was lucky to have asked Cory a few questions in ambush interviews.
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