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bivouac

American  
[biv-oo-ak, biv-wak] / ˈbɪv uˌæk, ˈbɪv wæk /

noun

  1. a military encampment made with tents or improvised shelters, usually without shelter or protection from enemy fire.

  2. the place used for such an encampment.

verb (used without object)

bivouacked, bivouacking

  1. to rest or assemble in such an area; encamp.

bivouac British  
/ ˈbɪvwæk, ˈbɪvʊˌæk /

noun

  1. a temporary encampment with few facilities, as used by soldiers, mountaineers, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr) to make such an encampment

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bivouac

1700–10; < French < Swiss German bīwacht auxiliary patrol, equivalent to bī- by- + wacht patrol, watch

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The bivouac fell into a ravine, but no one happened to be in the building at the time.

From Scientific American • Apr. 3, 2023

Lugging oil rigs, construction equipment and bivouac gear into the wilderness to plug a well involves logistical acrobatics, a feat that Mr. Smith described as “90 percent planning, 10 percent execution.”

From New York Times • Feb. 22, 2023

"Many, we understand, are provided with or are providing themselves with tents and intend to bivouac in the fields."

From BBC • Aug. 12, 2022

The whole population was busy all night, and the streets are now like a bivouac with sleeping men.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 7, 2021

He has to bivouac out in the open for three nights.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.