bushwhacker

[ boosh-hwak-er, -wak-er ]

noun

1. a person or thing that bushwhacks.
2. (in the American Civil War) a guerrilla, especially a Confederate.
3. any guerrilla or outlaw.
4. Australian Slang. an unsophisticated person; hick.

bushwhacker

/ ˈbʊʃˌwækə /

noun

1. a person who travels around or lives in thinly populated woodlands
2. informal.
   an unsophisticated person; boor
3. a Confederate guerrilla during the American Civil War
4. any guerrilla
5. a person who works in the bush, esp at timber felling

Other Words From

• bushwhacking noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bushwhacker¹

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10; bush ¹ + whacker ( def )

Example Sentences

He was a familiar figure along the Appalachian Trail and other paths, a wiry 5-foot-7 bushwhacker wearing his trademark mesh angler’s vest and toting a snake sack and a pole called a snake hook.

From Washington Post

Again, why not tap into the comics’ legacy by bringing the likes of bad guys Finn Cooley, Bushwhacker or Jigsaw to life.

From Washington Times

Jesse James’s exploits were cast as heroic by newspaperman and Confederate propagandist John Newman Edwards, who, in covering his exploits as a bushwhacker and beyond, made him a star, though one who descended into paranoia — well-placed as it happens.

From Washington Post

He famously broke a streak by a bull named Bushwhacker, who had thrown riders 40 times in a row.

From New York Times

That was because he kept choosing Bushwhacker when he had the chance.

From New York Times

Related Words

• aggressor
• mugger