bushman

¹ American  

[boosh-muhn] / ˈbʊʃ mən /

noun

plural

bushmen

1. a woodsman.

2. Australian. a pioneer; dweller in the bush.

3. (initial capital letter) San.

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Bushman ² American  

[boosh-muhn] / ˈbʊʃ mən /

noun

1. Francis X(avier), 1883–1966, U.S. film actor.

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Bushman ¹ British  

/ ˈbʊʃmən /

noun

1. a member of a hunting and gathering people of southern Africa, esp the Kalahari region, typically having leathery yellowish skin, short stature, and prominent buttocks

2. any language of this people, belonging to the Khoisan family

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bushman ² British  

/ ˈbʊʃmən /

noun

1. a person who lives or travels in the bush, esp one versed in bush lore

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Etymology

Origin of bushman

1775–85; bush ¹ + man, modeled on Afrikaans boschjesman literally, man of the bush

Example Sentences

Locals know Phillips as a bushman with survival skills that would have set him up for building shelters and foraging for food in the wilderness.

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2025

Murray's bid for a second grand slam title Down Under has sparked a light-hearted dig at Australia's iconic celluloid hero "Crocodile Dundee", the weathered bushman played by Paul Hogan in the 1986 film.

From Reuters • Jan. 15, 2013

Surely an Inuit elder or a Kalahari bushman has equal credentials when it comes to describing and passing on a way of life or way of thought to enhance the lives of future generations.

From The Guardian • Nov. 22, 2012

If you go back and look at bushman art, early cave painting, you see sport being illustrated within those paintings.

From New York Times • Jul. 10, 2010

There was, however, nothing suspicious in the rancher's attitude, and the others laughed in the soft fashion peculiar to the bushman.

From Thrice Armed by Bindloss, Harold