bushwhack
verb
bush·whack
ˈbu̇sh-ˌ(h)wak 
bushwhacked; bushwhacking; bushwhacks
1
transitive
: to attack (someone) by surprise from a hidden place : ambush
… the American banditti robbed trains and bushwhacked stagecoaches and settlers' caravans with equal enthusiasm for fistic violence and gunplay.—
James Gray
James GrayWilliams wears a pistol when he goes into the countryside and worries that someone might bushwhack him because he is outspoken.—Monty Brower and Bill Shaw
Monty Brower and Bill Shaw2
a
: to travel by foot through uncleared terrain
Other beaches have no access at all; you have to bushwhack to get to them, through terrain infested with rattlesnakes, poison oak, and other hazards.—Anthony Brandt
Anthony BrandtNo paths presented themselves and I bushwhacked through numerous fallen and dead trees.—Rob Nicholson
Rob Nicholson… decided it was best to "bushwhack," or wander off the path to get closer to the barred owl and possibly catch a glimpse of it.—Eric Koszalka
Eric Koszalka
b
: to clear a path or advance through thick woods especially by chopping down bushes and low branches
… it would allow them to locate their prey without having to bushwhack through the jungle for days or weeks.—Earth Island Journal
Earth Island Journal
bushwhacker
noun
Examples of bushwhack in a Sentence
The group bushwhacked through the jungle.
They used the controversy as an opportunity to bushwhack their political opponents.
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s a small collection of very short, often crowded hikes near the park entrance, but otherwise, most of the park is a bushwhacking, choose-your-own-adventure story.
—AFAR Media, 7 July 2025
Deep in the night on August 4, 2018, a trio of timber cutters bushwhacked into a steep valley thick with brush, wearing headlamps and carrying a chainsaw, gas can, and a slew of felling tools.
—Nick Davidson, Outside Online, 22 Apr. 2025
The trail requires a fair amount of bushwhacking, steep climbs, and snaking ambles through multi-hued canyons.
—Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
In a few sections, the trail can be tough to find, making bushwhacking necessary.
—Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bushwhack
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AFAR Media, 7 July 2025
Deep in the night on August 4, 2018, a trio of timber cutters bushwhacked into a steep valley thick with brush, wearing headlamps and carrying a chainsaw, gas can, and a slew of felling tools.
—Nick Davidson, Outside Online, 22 Apr. 2025
The trail requires a fair amount of bushwhacking, steep climbs, and snaking ambles through multi-hued canyons.
—Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
In a few sections, the trail can be tough to find, making bushwhacking necessary.
—Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bushwhack
Cite this Entry
“Bushwhack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bushwhack. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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