bushwhacker

[ boosh-hwak-er, -wak-er ]
See synonyms for bushwhacker on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person or thing that bushwhacks.

  2. (in the American Civil War) a guerrilla, especially a Confederate.

  1. any guerrilla or outlaw.

  2. Australian Slang. an unsophisticated person; hick.

Origin of bushwhacker

1
An Americanism dating back to 1800–10; bush1 + whacker

Other words from bushwhacker

  • bushwhacking, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for bushwhacker

bushwhacker

/ (ˈbʊʃˌwækə) /


noun
  1. US, Canadian and Australian a person who travels around or lives in thinly populated woodlands

  2. Australian informal an unsophisticated person; boor

  1. a Confederate guerrilla during the American Civil War

  2. US any guerrilla

  3. NZ a person who works in the bush, esp at timber felling

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