# ambush
## English
### Etymology

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.

### Pronunciation

* (General Australian, US, UK) IPA: /ˈæm.bʊʃ/
** Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Rhymes: -æmbʊʃ

### Noun

ambush (plural ambushes)
* 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.
* 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: […] [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, 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.
* 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.

#### Derived terms

* ambush bug
* ambushee
* ambusher
* ambush journalism
* ambush marketing
* ambushment
* ambush predator
* ambush television
* antiambush
* counterambush
* enambush
* lie in ambush

#### Descendants

* → Hebrew: אַמְבּוּשׁ (ámbush)

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Verb

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

#### Derived terms

* ambushable
* counterambush
* outambush
* unambushed

#### Translations
### 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.