How to Use ambush in a Sentence

ambush

1 of 2 verb
  • We have reports of enemy soldiers ambushing civilians on this road.
  • For one thing, don’t ambush your dad.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 18 June 2026
  • Wolf spiders ambush on the ground at night.
    — Matthew Cordes, The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2026
  • At that point, police said, the girl was ambushed by the shark.
    — Justin Klawans, The Week, 4 Feb. 2023
  • His second choice is to bolt out the front door and ambush the bird feeder.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 14 Mar. 2021
  • His car was ambushed, and he was fatally shot at point-blank range.
    — David E. Sanger, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
  • Now traveling alone, he’s ambushed by thieves who leave him for dead.
    — Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2023
  • As Tea leaves with her colleague Yasin, their car is ambushed.
    — Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Bobcats are big climbers who like to ambush their prey, Peters said.
    — Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
  • Watch the video to see Tyler ambush his mom in her garage with a surprise return.
    — Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2022
  • When their convoy is brutally ambushed, she’s forced to put her life in his hands.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 27 Nov. 2025
  • Adult beetles run down their prey, while larvae ambush them from their burrows.
    — Howard Garrett, Dallas News, 6 July 2020
  • As night falls, the stargazer, a fish about one foot in length, emerges from beneath the sand to ambush its prey.
    — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 29 Aug. 2021
  • Obscenity is a tic that is always ready to ambush her thoughts.
    — Anne Enright, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2020
  • Some cryptic spiders even disguise themselves as a lichen to ambush prey.
    — Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 15 Feb. 2022
  • Betts ambushed a belt-high four-seamer into the first row of seats in the left-center bleachers.
    — Katie Woo, New York Times, 27 May 2026
  • Police have made no arrest of either of the two people who opened fire on the two males who were ambushed.
    — Charlotte Observer, 17 Dec. 2025
  • As the group piled into the car and drove off in hopes of saving their lives, they were ambushed by terrorists.
    — Gabriele Regalbuto, Fox News, 18 Oct. 2023
  • The Nationals ambushed Mazur to start the game.
    — Steve Gorten, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Then came the harrowing night when the crew was ambushed on its way back to Port-au-Prince.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 12 Jan. 2024
  • Not wanting to get ambushed in the dark, Mattson decided to head for his truck.
    — Outdoor Life, 26 July 2023
  • But they were ambushed by a group loyal to the Comyn family, which led to a bloody battle.
    — Elizabeth Waddington, Treehugger, 25 Aug. 2023
  • The Enquirer reported at the time that the city had been ambushed.
    — The Enquirer, 19 Jan. 2024
  • Laurel police said in a statement that a lone gunman ambushed Farmer.
    — Omari Daniels, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023
  • Jax interfered in the match to ambush both Stratton and Cargill.
    — Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Talk shows continued to invite her, often in order to ambush her.
    — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
  • On the fourth day, his team was ambushed and outnumbered by Vietnamese fighters.
    — Arkansas Online, 20 June 2026
  • On the fourth day, his team was ambushed and outnumbered by Vietnamese fighters.
    — ABC News, 18 June 2026
  • Last year, the Burma Army ambushed his unit and killed five of Htoo’s comrades.
    — Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023
  • Lit up by minor-leaguers ambushing first-pitch fastballs?
    — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 8 June 2026

ambush

2 of 2 noun
  • Many soldiers were killed in the ambush.
  • The soldiers were lying in ambush, waiting for the enemy to approach.
  • This has the makings of an ambush.
    — Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 22 Nov. 2025
  • This fish is an ambush predator.
    — Ari Daniel, NPR, 31 Mar. 2026
  • None of them needed an ambush jersey to do it.
    — Gabriel Alin Zainescu, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • The brother of her cousin’s wife went on a run the morning of the ambush, and was killed.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2023
  • The search for the tunnel had been spurred by an ambush on Friday.
    — Raf Sanchez, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2023
  • The ambush demonstrates how Hamas is still willing to fight at all costs.
    — Daniel Estrin, NPR, 21 Aug. 2025
  • An on-the-street interview series that doesn’t feel like an ambush or a stunt?
    — Chris Richards, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
  • The circumstances of the ambush of an unmarked car weren't clear.
    — CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Capers called in air support to repel the ambush.
    — ABC News, 18 June 2026
  • The second time came a few weeks later during an ambush in that dense palm thicket.
    — The Indianapolis Star, 2 July 2023
  • An ambush of tigers waited, guns drawn, for the stagecoach to enter the mountain pass.
    — J. C. Duffy, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2023
  • Another, much smaller and less deadly, ambush took place not far from this site.
    — The Salt Lake Tribune, 29 July 2023
  • In an email sent a week before the ambush, things seemed to be turning around for Kurpasi.
    — Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 27 June 2023
  • Activist tied to Oprah, Biden stabbed in ambush, mom slain; suspect nabbed.
    — FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Fuentes feared a similar ambush.
    — Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
  • More than 100 homes were destroyed during the ambush.
    — Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The bats have a dual ambush strategy.
    — Leonie Baier, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Authorities have said that at least some of the victims were sleeping at the start of the ambush.
    — Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 3 Nov. 2023
  • The legend said Buford Pusser was shot in the face in the ambush.
    — Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Maybe Buffalo is a team of destiny, but this feels like an ambush in waiting.
    — Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
  • The cruelest room Bree, meanwhile, walks into an ambush.
    — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
  • Read Next Pregnant mom shot to death in ‘ambush,’ Colorado cops say.
    — Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 1 Mar. 2024
  • Hamas has used the tunnels to store weapons, hide hostages and stage ambushes of Israeli soldiers.
    — Samuel Granados, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Voice messages revealed the heart-wrenching moments and chaos after the ambush.
    — CBS News, 7 Sep. 2023
  • The two were set to be married before she was injured in the ambush by the sheep farmers that also killed her father.
    — Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 5 Feb. 2023
  • The ambush unleashed a brutal firefight that ended in Ruth's death.
    — David K. Li, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2025
  • But the Philly show is a sting operation reverse-ambush.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 29 June 2026
  • Alex Hamzy, who police say were shot to death in an ambush by a man armed with a weapon that rapidly fired 80 rounds.
    — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 9 Dec. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ambush.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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