warpath
Americannoun
idioms
noun
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the route taken by North American Indians on a warlike expedition
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preparing to engage in battle
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informal in a state of anger
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Sensitive Note
See powwow.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of warpath
Explanation
A warpath is either the road to a battle or a hostile, aggressive mood. Note: there's probably going to be trouble when someone is on either warpath. This was originally a Native American term for a real path: a warpath was the route taken on the way to a known or planned conflict. The warpath was the way to war. From there, this became a general term for being angry or combative — usually preceded by the words on the. A volatile, swearing boss is on the warpath. An angry driver swearing at other drivers is on the warpath. It's best to avoid people when they're on the warpath.
Vocabulary lists containing warpath
Dead End in Norvelt
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Indian No More
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The School Story
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Nicola Baird, the founder of We Won't Be Scammed, is on the warpath.
From BBC ● May 3, 2026
Elon Musk has been on a seemingly permanent warpath against short sellers of Tesla shares.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2023
Aside from countering China, it also marks the latest development on Bezos’ warpath to counter competition from Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
From The Verge ● Jun. 9, 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
We have been riding with fierce warriors and proud kings and fiery prophets of Israel, passing the sites of royal splendour and fields of ancient havoc, retracing the warpaths of the Twelve Tribes.
From Out-of-Doors in the Holy Land Impressions of Travel in Body and Spirit by Van Dyke, Henry
Perhaps, for he had ridden on a great many warpaths with the fierce and merciless Lipans.
From The Talking Leaves An Indian Story by Stoddard, William Osborn
I had been on many warpaths, but was not especially successful until about the time the Sioux began to fight with the white man.
From Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains by Eastman, Charles Alexander
You are brave men: had you no enemies there, and no warpaths?
From To Have and to Hold by Johnston, Mary
All these familiar warpaths to every Waubanakee warrior, with every stream and landmark bearing names his fathers had given them, led through Vermont, then only known to English-speaking men as "The Wilderness."
From Vermont A Study of Independence by Robinson, Rowland E. (Evans)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
