ambushed

verb

past tense of ambush
as in attacked
to lie in wait for and attack by surprise the king's enemies planned to ambush the royal coach on the way to Paris and capture the king

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ambushed Tete was arriving at his residence and waiting for the gate to open when he was ambushed by two armed suspects. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 As Cole is driving Tibu back from a passing-of-the-torch party, the two are ambushed, and Tibu is killed. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026 While there was a period of harmony between the two coasts, that imploded after Shakur was ambushed at a Times Square recording studio in November 1994. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026 On the day Tran was ambushed, the vehicle circled the area 16 times before the shooting, according to investigators. — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026 Tae-ha, who is in Japan on business for Sang-gil, is ambushed by a bunch of men. — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026 Whatever subtext is there bubbles to the surface in the next scene, when Bret is ambushed by Debbie’s mother, Liz (Evan Rachel Wood), who is too sloshed to bite her tongue and starts asking after her husband. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026 After the match, Charlotte Flair walked out as the Baddies were being ambushed by Stratton and Green. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 In 2015, an excited fan ambushed Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine during a concert at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambushed
  1. attacked
  2. assaulted
  3. waylaid
  4. surprised
  5. captured
Verb
  • But the university’s recent actions in a lawsuit filed by a former student who was attacked on campus during that period appear at odds with that commitment.
    — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Not long after Bungalow 8 opened, the World Trade Center was attacked.
    — Derek C. Blasberg, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacked
Verb
  • Scott and Dylan walked away from faculty members and the video production crew and and Scott allegedly assaulted her in a janitor’s closet.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is seeking the public’s assistance after a man broke into a woman’s residence and assaulted her early Tuesday morning in a small Kansas town.
    — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of assaulted
Verb
  • What had been perhaps Buxton’s finest overall season has been waylaid by a hip impingement that’s twice landed him on the IL and wrecked his production even when on the field since the start of July.
    — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Or the family might have simply gotten waylaid by other plans.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 27 July 2026
Definition of waylaid
Verb
  • Bruce Springsteen surprised the coastal crowd during Bleachers‘ show in Asbury Park to deliver a pair of nostalgic Jersey-centric songs on Friday night.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2026
  • In this time, Lamb surprised some people by voting to ordain Gene Robinson, a gay man, as bishop in 2003.
    — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of surprised
Verb
  • Surveillance cameras near the scene captured footage of the suspect vehicle, but not its license plate.
    — Jason Green, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Her reaction to the Album of the Year snub at the 2018 Grammys was captured in her Miss Americana documentary.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of captured

Browse Nearby Words

ambush
ambushed
ambusher
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Cite this Entry

“Ambushed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambushed. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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