on the warpath

Cultural  

1. From a Native American expression for war, to be “on the warpath” is to be exceedingly angry and to be inclined to take some hostile action: “Watch out! John is on the warpath today.”

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on the warpath Idioms  

1. Furious and on a hostile course of action, as in When the meat wasn't delivered, the chef went on the warpath. This expression was an English translation of a Native American term that literally means “a path used by a war party.” Go on the war path thus meant “go to battle.” It was used in this way by James Fenimore Cooper in The Deerslayer (1841); its present hyperbolic use dates from the late 1800s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

on the warpath

First used by Ottoman military "mehter" bands to frighten and demoralise the enemy, cymbals were a useful tool for an empire on the warpath.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Nicola Baird, the founder of We Won't Be Scammed, is on the warpath.

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

Since returning from health and safety protocols, a fully rested Jackson has been on the warpath, reeling in sack after sack.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2021

Fox News and The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page went on the warpath.

From New York Times ● Aug. 30, 2020

“Jack told you—” “Called a while ago and said—among other things— that if you weren’t already on the warpath you’d soon be. From what I heard, you already are.”

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

Related Words

• desperate
• enraged
• fierce
• frantic
• frenetic
• frenzied
• incensed
• livid
• raging
• vehement
• violent