bivouac

[ biv-oo-ak, biv-wak ]

/ ˈbɪv uˌæk, ˈbɪv wæk /

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See synonyms for: bivouac / bivouacked / bivouacking on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

the place used for such an encampment.

verb (used without object), biv·ou·acked, biv·ou·ack·ing.

to rest or assemble in such an area; encamp.

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Origin of bivouac

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bivouac in a sentence

If the military situation permits, all troops are put into quarters, only the outpost troops bivouacking.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2|Various
By dusk we had got on to the open country near St Waast, and here we found that the Division was bivouacking.
The Doings of the Fifteenth Infantry Brigade|Edward Lord Gleichen
The travellers, obliged to pass through the bivouacking parties, did not do so without some apprehension.
The Guide of the Desert|Gustave Aimard
Moved forward again at daylight on the 14th, crossing the Tallahatchie at Rocky Ford, and bivouacking for the night.
A History of the Ninth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry|Marion Morrison

Moved forward again early on the morning of the 9th, and marched thirty-five miles, bivouacking near Lawrenceburg.
A History of the Ninth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry|Marion Morrison

British Dictionary definitions for bivouac

bivouac

/ (ˈbɪvʊˌæk, ˈbɪvwæk) /

noun

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

verb -acs, -acking or -acked

(intr) to make such an encampment

Word Origin for bivouac

C18: from French bivuac, probably from Swiss German Beiwacht, literally: by + watch

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

bivouac

Origin of bivouac

Words related to bivouac

How to use bivouac in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bivouac

Word Origin for bivouac