ambush

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ambush

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From Middle English enbuschen, from Old French enbuscier, anbuchier (verb) (whence Middle French embusche (noun)), from Old French en- + Vulgar Latin boscus (“wood”), from Frankish *busk (“bush”), from Proto-Germanic *buskaz (“bush, heavy stick”). Compare ambuscade. The change to am- from earlier forms in en- is unexplained. More at bush.

• (General Australian, US, UK) IPA^(key): /ˈæm.bʊʃ/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -æmbʊʃ

ambush (plural ambushes)

1. The act of concealing oneself and lying in wait to attack by surprise.
2. 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 ; nd by Robert Boulter ; 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.

3. The concealed position or state from which a surprise attack is launched.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. The First Part , 2nd edition, part 1, London: 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,
     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.

4. 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.

ambush (third-person singular simple present ambushes, present participle ambushing, simple past and past participle ambushed)

1. (transitive) 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 M for H 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.

2. (transitive) To attack by ambush; to waylay.
   • 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.

• “ambush”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “ambush”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.