bushwhack

verb

bush·​whack ˈbu̇sh-ˌ(h)wak 

bushwhacked; bushwhacking; bushwhacks

1

transitive : to attack (someone) by surprise from a hidden place : ambush

… the American banditti robbed trains and bushwhacked stagecoaches and settlers' caravans with equal enthusiasm for fistic violence and gunplay.

—James Gray

Williams wears a pistol when he goes into the countryside and worries that someone might bushwhack him because he is outspoken.

—Monty Brower and Bill Shaw

2

intransitive

a

: to travel by foot through uncleared terrain

Other beaches have no access at all; you have to bushwhack to get to them, through terrain infested with rattlesnakes, poison oak, and other hazards.

—Anthony Brandt

No paths presented themselves and I bushwhacked through numerous fallen and dead trees.

—Rob Nicholson

… decided it was best to "bushwhack," or wander off the path to get closer to the barred owl and possibly catch a glimpse of it.

—Eric Koszalka

b

: to clear a path or advance through thick woods especially by chopping down bushes and low branches

… it would allow them to locate their prey without having to bushwhack through the jungle for days or weeks.

—Earth Island Journal

bushwhacker noun

Synonyms

• assail
• assault
• attack
• beset
• charge
• descend (on or upon)
• go in (on)
• jump (on)
• pounce (on or upon)
• raid
• rush
• set on
• sic
• sick
• storm
• strike
• trash
• turn (on)

Examples of bushwhack in a Sentence

The group bushwhacked through the jungle.

They used the controversy as an opportunity to bushwhack their political opponents.

Recent Examples on the Web

But their grueling three-hour journey of uphill bushwhacking in the rain ended in disappointment. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Oct. 2024

On the fifth day of bushwhacking, Ernest-Beck lost his helmet. —Corbin Reiff, Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2024

Three years ago, the county created a team to bushwhack through a thicket of bureaucracy to get the jail closed and the inmates diverted. —Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2024

The first Europeans arrived in 1493, when Columbus bushwhacked onto the island’s shores. —Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from bushwhacker

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1