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^(key): /ˈæm.bʊʃ/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -æmbʊʃ

Noun

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 […]; [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.

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: […] [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.

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.

Derived terms

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

 

Translations

act

• Apache:

  Western Apache: yidáh nehedzaa

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani: pusqu
• Belarusian: заса́да f (zasáda)
• Bulgarian: засада (bg) f (zasada)
• Esperanto: embusko (eo)
• Finnish: väijytys (fi)
• German: Hinterhalt (de) f
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: csapda (hu)
• Korean: 매복 (ko) (maebok)
• Macedonian: заседа f (zaseda)
• Mongolian: отолт (otolt)
• Old English: sǣt f
• Ottoman Turkish: پوصو (pusu)
• Persian: کمین (fa) (kamin)
• Russian: заса́да (ru) f (zasáda)
• Spanish: emboscada (es) f, calada (es) f, zalagarda (es) f
• Turkish: pusu (tr)

attack

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: հարձակում դարանից (harjakum daranicʻ)
• Azerbaijani: pusqu
• Belarusian: заса́да f (zasáda)
• Catalan: emboscada (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 遇袭 (zh) (yùxí), 偷袭 (zh) (tōuxí)

• Dutch: hinderlaag (nl) f
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: ylläkkö, yllätyshyökkäys (fi); tuliylläkkö (military)
• French: embuscade (fr) f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: orvtámadás (hu)
• Italian: imboscata (it) f
• Latin: aggresiō cum insidiā
• Maori: urumaranga
• Ottoman Turkish: پوصو (pusu)
• Persian: کمین (fa) (kamin)
• Polish: zasadzka (pl) f
• Portuguese: emboscada (pt) f
• Romanian: ambuscadă (ro) f
• Russian: заса́да (ru) f (zasáda)
• Slovak: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: emboscada (es) f
• Tarifit: anday m
• Turkish: pusu (tr)
• Ukrainian: за́сідка f (zásidka), заса́да (uk) f (zasáda), підсі́дка f (pidsídka)

troops

• Azerbaijani: pusqu
• Finnish: väijytysjoukko
• French: embuscade (fr) f
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: کمین (fa) (kamin)
• Russian: заса́да (ru) f (zasáda)

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

• Arabic: كَمِين m (kamīn)
• Armenian: դարան (hy) (daran)
• Cherokee: ᎠᏓᎭᎷᏗ (adahaludi)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 埋伏 (zh) (máifu), 伏擊／伏击 (zh) (fújī)

  Mandarin: 埋伏 (zh) (máifú)

• Czech: záloha (cs) f
• Danish: bagholdsangreb n, baghold n ; baghold n
• Dutch: hinderlaag (nl) m or f ; hinderlaag (nl) m or f
• French: embuscade (fr) f
• German: Hinterhalt (de) m
• Greek: ενέδρα (el) f (enédra)

  Ancient: ἐνέδρα f (enédra)

• Hebrew: מארב m (maarav)
• Hungarian: leshely (hu) ; csapda (hu)
• Indonesian: penyergapan (id)
• Italian: imboscata (it) f
• Japanese: 待ち伏せ (ja) (まちぶせ, machibuse) ; 不意打ち (ja) (ふいうち, fuiuchi)
• Latin: īnsidiae f pl
• Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} pasala f
• Macedonian: заседа f (zaseda)
• Maori: kuratopuni, kauaeroa, torohē, urumaranga, pūniho
• Polish: zasadzka (pl) f
• Portuguese: emboscada (pt) f ; tocaia (pt) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: за̑сједа f, за̑седа f

  Roman: zȃsjeda (sh) f, zȃseda (sh) f

• Spanish: encerrona
• Swedish: bakhåll (sv) n ; bakhåll (sv) n
• Tagalog: abat (tl)
• Turkish: pusu (tr), tuzak (tr)
• Vietnamese: đánh úp (vi), mai phục (vi)

Verb

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[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.

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^[1], 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

to station in ambush with a view to surprise an enemy

• Armenian: դարանակալել (hy) (daranakalel)
• Azerbaijani: pusmaq
• Bulgarian: устройвам засада (ustrojvam zasada)
• Catalan: emboscar (ca)
• Cebuano: banhig
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 伏擊／伏击 (zh) (fújī), 打埋伏 (zh) (dǎ máifu)

• Finnish: väijyä (fi)
• French: embusquer (fr)
• German: einen Hinterhalt legen
• Greek: ενεδρεύω (el) (enedrévo)
• Hebrew: אָרַב (he) (aráv)
• Italian: tendere un agguato, agguatare (it)
• Japanese: 待ち伏せする (ja) (まちぶせする, machibuse suru)
• Maori: pehipehi, whakamoke, haupapa
• Mongolian: отох (mn) (otox)
• Polish: zaczajać się impf, zaczaić się pf
• Portuguese: emboscar (pt)
• Russian: устра́ивать заса́ду impf (ustráivatʹ zasádu) (intransitive)
• Spanish: emboscar (es)
• Swedish: ligga i bakhåll
• Tagalog: abatan

to attack by ambush; to waylay

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: դարանակալել (hy) (daranakalel)
• Bulgarian: причаквам (bg) (pričakvam), нападам от засада (napadam ot zasada)
• Catalan: emboscar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: hyökkää väijyksistä (+ genitive +) kimppuun, väijyttää
• French: embusquer (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: aus dem Hinterhalt angreifen
• Hungarian: lesből támad
• Indonesian: sergapan (id)
• Italian: agguatare (it)
• Japanese: 不意打ちする (ja) (ふいうちする, fuiuchi suru)
• Khmer: ឡោមព័ទ្ធ (laom pŏət)
• Latin: impetō cum insidiā
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Malay: sergap, serangan hendap
• Maori: kauaeroa, whakamoho, whakamoke, haupapa, tāwhanga
• Polish: wciągać w zasadzkę impf, wciągnąć w zasadzkę pf, zaczajać się impf, zaczaić się pf
• Portuguese: emboscar (pt)
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: напада́ть из заса́ды impf (napadátʹ iz zasády) (intransitive)
• Spanish: emboscar (es)
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

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