bushwhack

[ boosh-hwak, -wak ]

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.

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bushwhack¹

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

Example Sentences

Soon, though, he lost the trail and began bushwhacking downhill along a stream bed.

From Seattle Times

His characters bushwhack through the jungle in 2010’s “Matterhorn,” fish and log in “Deep River,” and now, in “Cold Victory,” ski south from the Arctic Circle in a 500K race.

From Seattle Times

They gave her warm liquids, food and dry clothing and soon helped her bushwhack back to the trail.

From Seattle Times

The climber was attempting to “bushwhack” the summit of a “13’er,” which means climbing a peak over 13,000 feet tall while going off the beaten trail, CCSAR-N said in the post.

From Washington Times

Van Pelt, 64, has built a reputation as a preeminent big tree authority by bushwhacking deep into forests and scaling giants taller than the Statue of Liberty to study and sketch them.

From Seattle Times