Ambush

an act or instance of lying concealed so as to attack by surprise:
the highwaymen waited in ambush near the road.
an act or instance of attacking unexpectedly from a concealed position.
the concealed position itself:
they fired from ambush.
those who attack suddenly and unexpectedly from a concealed position.
to attack from ambush.
contemporary examples

he quoted telhada as saying that his officers had acted “within the law,” denying the ambush.
in brazil, an outspoken colonel, a journalist in hiding and mysterious threats of death dom phillips october 19, 2012

she would lure him to a paris suburb where the gang waited in ambush.
a horror story of true-life anti-semitism in france tracy mcnicoll april 27, 2014

on july 14, plotnikov and seven other insurgents were killed in a nighttime ambush in a forest outside the city.
katherine russell under scrutiny after female dna found on boston bomb michael daly april 29, 2013

i’m to wait at the circular tables outside the bookstore so that one of jones’ sidekicks can make sure this isn’t an ambush.
meet the superhero vigilantes winston ross december 5, 2010

they were the machine gun bullets coming from the ambush when my company got hit.
the story behind lee marvin’s liberty valance smile robert ward january 2, 2015

historical examples

i will bring thee to the place in the early morning, and set thee in ambush to await his coming.
stories from the odyssey h. l. havell

firing from ambush and moving from place to place, he would seem more than one man.
way of the lawless max brand

the chief’s warriors would intercept, ambush and annihilate every war party headed for his camp.
myths and legends of the sioux marie l. mclaughlin

no mountains are here, but this is a great country for ambush.
the rock of chickamauga joseph a. altsheler

they’re of the same kidney that drove general herkimer into the ambush, an’ are tryin’ to force the colonel to surrender.
the minute boys of the mohawk valley james otis

noun
the act of waiting in a concealed position in order to launch a surprise attack
a surprise attack from such a position
the concealed position from which such an attack is launched
the person or persons waiting to launch such an attack
verb
to lie in wait (for)
(transitive) to attack suddenly from a concealed position
v.

c.1300, from old french embuscher (13c., modern french embûcher) “to lay an ambush,” from en- “in” + busch “wood,” apparently from frankish -busk “bush, woods” (see bush (n.)). related: ambushed; ambushing.
n.

late 15c., embushe, from the english verb or from middle french embusche, from old french embuscher (see ambush (v.)). earlier was ambushment (late 14c.). figurative use by 1590s.

language
a language for linear programming problems in a materials processing and transportation network.
[“ambush – an advanced model builder for linear programming”, t.r. white et al, national petroleum refiners -ssoc comp conf (nov 1971)].
(1995-06-19)

joshua at the capture of ai lay in ambush, and so deceived the inhabitants that he gained an easy victory (josh. 8:4-26). shechem was taken in this manner (judg. 9:30-45. comp. jer. 51:12).