bushwhack

American  

[boosh-hwak, -wak] / ˈbʊʃˌʰwæk, -ˌwæk /

verb (used without object)

1. to make one's way through woods by cutting at undergrowth, branches, etc.

2. to travel through woods.

3. to pull a boat upstream from on board by grasping bushes, rocks, etc., on the shore.

4. to fight as a bushwhacker or guerrilla in the bush.

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verb (used with object)

1. to fight as a bushwhacker; ambush.

2. to defeat, especially by surprise or in an underhanded way.

   They bushwhacked our high school team when they used college players.

bushwhack British  

/ ˈbʊʃˌwæk /

verb

1. (tr) to ambush

2. (intr) to cut or beat one's way through thick woods

3. (intr) to range or move around in woods or the bush

4. (intr) to fight as a guerrilla in wild or uncivilized regions

5. (intr) to work in the bush, esp at timber felling

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Etymology

Origin of bushwhack

An Americanism first recorded in 1830–40; back formation from bushwhacker

Example Sentences

Given Hyperion’s off-trail location, hikers must walk through heavy vegetation and bushwhack in order to reach it, the statement says.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2022

This is Matt Blain, who made enough money working at Google that he could quit and do what he really wanted to do: bushwhack and mountain bike.

From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2019

Berry also distinguishes her menu with a daily offering of biryani dishes, including a chicken version whose heat will bushwhack you.

From Washington Post • Mar. 5, 2018

“He was about getting into the wilderness, navigating with a map and compass, and finding adventure. If you want to bushwhack, you go climbing with Jack.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 2, 2017

As we bushwhack along, the mountains themselves tell me we have arrived.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George