ambuscade
/ˌambəˈskeɪd
/noun dated
An ambush: our sensibilities are being battered with reports of killings and ambuscades...
- In politics, as in war, we meet with certain ardent minds which never understand the utility of marches, counter marches, ambuscades, and affairs of outposts.
- ‘I grew up with it, getting to know the various places of battles, skirmishes, sieges, ambuscades, ancient strongholds and war trails,’ wrote William.
- The group were active in the late 1980s and used to conduct daring ambuscades on mostly abusive police and local officials.
verb [with object] archaic
Ambush (someone): French and his companions were ambuscaded by the Indians...
- It was evident that the enemy were ambuscaded in great force.
- But Rosie broke the compact and ambuscaded the poor fellow.
- During an expedition to the frontier for the object of punishing a marauding party, his company was ambuscaded and made a desperate resistance, but were overpowered and put to flight.
Origin
Late 16th century: from French embuscade, from Italian imboscata, Spanish emboscada, or Portuguese embuscada, based on a late Latin word meaning 'to place in a wood'; related to bush1.