The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

ambition n. 1 hunger, thirst, craving, appetite, arrivisme: John's
relentless ambition may yet be his undoing. 2 drive,
enterprise, energy, initiative, vigour, enthusiasm, zeal,
avidity, Colloq get-up-and-go: The company is seeking young men
of ambition. You'll never get anywhere, Stewart, since you are
totally lacking in ambition. 3 goal, object, aim, aspiration,
hope, desire, dream, objective, wish, purpose: It is Olivia's
ambition to marry someone with a title.
ambitious adj. 1 aspiring, hopeful; enthusiastic: My son, I am just as
ambitious for you as you are for yourself. 2 energetic,
enterprising, vigorous, zealous, enthusiastic, eager: We prefer
ambitious young people to those who are seeking a sinecure. 3
greedy, avaricious, overzealous, overambitious, Colloq pushy,
yuppy: Howard is a trifle too ambitious, expecting to be
department head after only one year.
ambush n. 1 trap, ambuscade or Archaic ambuscado: The company set up
an ambush near the crossroads.
--v. 2 lie in wait, trap, waylay, ensnare, entrap, lurk,
ambuscade, intercept, Colloq lay in wait, US bushwhack: The
guerrillas were ready to ambush the soldiers.
amend v. 1 reform, change for the better, improve, better,
ameliorate: The prisoner believes he could amend his ways if
given the chance. 2 correct, emend, emendate, rectify, set to
rights, repair, fix, revise: Take whatever time you need to
amend the text.
amendment n. 1 correction, emendation, reformation, change, alteration,
rectification, repair, reform, improvement, amelioration,
betterment, enhancement: The committee approved the amendment
of the constitution by the addition of the suggested paragraphs.
2 attachment, addition, addendum; clause, paragraph; alteration:
A two-thirds majority in the Congress is needed to pass the
amendment.
amends n. make amends. compensate, pay, repay, make reparation or
restitution, recompense, redress, remedy, requite: How can the
bus-driver ever make amends for the loss of a beloved kitten?