bushwhack

(bo̵os̸hhwak′, -wak′)

intransitive verb

  1. to beat or cut one's way through bushes
  2. to move a boat along a stream by pulling at the bushes on the bank
  3. to engage in guerrilla fighting, attacking from ambush

Origin: prob. < bush + whack

transitive verb

to ambush

Related Forms:

See bushwhack in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb bush·whacked, bush·whack·ing, bush·whacks
verb, intransitive
  1. To make one's way through thick woods by cutting away bushes and branches.
  2. To travel through or live in the woods.
  3. To fight as a guerrilla in the woods.
verb, transitive
To attack suddenly from a place of concealment; ambush. See Synonyms at ambush.

Related Forms:

  • bushˈwhackˌer noun

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