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

In northern Idaho, there’s a 7-mile gap where hikers have to bushwhack across Forest Service land and land managed by the Idaho Department of Lands.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 7, 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’s grown up since then, and I’d rather give him the space to bushwhack through America’s racial angst—and maybe even make mistakes—than reward tidy, safe spectacles that simply pretend that everything’s fine. 

From Slate • Jan. 5, 2016

I stand with the help of the armrest, then bushwhack through an impossible thicket of Jude’s blond hair to a bathroom, where I splash cold water on my face.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson