# ambush

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈæm.bʊʃ/ · frequency rank #13,852

## Definitions
1. The act of concealing oneself and lying in wait to attack or kill by surprise.
2. An attack launched from a concealed position.
3. The concealed position or state from which a surprise attack is launched.
4. The troops posted in a concealed place, for attacking by surprise; those who lie in wait.

## Etymology
From Middle English enbuschen, from Old French enbuscier, anbuchier (verb) (whence Middle French embusche (noun)), from Old French en- + Vulgar Latin boscus (“wood”) (whence also bouquet), 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.

## Easily confused with
- **Amish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ambush-vs-amish)
- **amuse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ambush-vs-amuse)
- **ambushed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ambush-vs-ambushed)
- **abuse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/abuse-vs-ambush)

## Common misspellings (9)
`abmush`, `ambbush`, `ambsuh`, `ambuhs`, `ambushh`, `ambussh`, `ammbush`, `amubsh`, `mabush`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ambush