bushwhack

verb

ˈbu̇sh-ˌ(h)wak How to pronounce bushwhack (audio)
Definition of bushwhacknext
as in to assault
to take sudden, violent action against a remote area of the park in which gangs of hoodlums have been known to bushwhack lone joggers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bushwhack The best hiking pants earn their place in our packing list the hard way—through scree scrambles, sweaty switchbacks, and the kind of bushwhacking that tests each and every seam. — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2026 Perhaps the most surprising of these offerings, considering the cushiness of the surroundings, are the daily courses in primitive wilderness endurance, led by bushwhacking reality TV stalwart Bear Grylls’ Survival Academy. — Beth Landman, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026 Squeezing through slot canyons and bushwhacking through scrub oak provided some Outside Lab-style abrasive durability that didn’t even leave a mark on the nylon ripstop material. — The Editors, Outside, 31 Dec. 2025 Eventually, after nearly two hours of bushwhacking, the Indigenous Guard comes to a series of verdant cliffs rising spectacularly out of the rainforest. — NPR, 16 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bushwhack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bushwhack
  1. assault
  2. attack
  3. raid
  4. ambush
  5. storm
  6. strike
Verb
  • According to the Public Defender's Office, officers falsely claimed that Gibson had assaulted them by biting, punching, and wrapping a radio cord around an officer's neck, claims later refuted by video evidence.
    — Senior Editor, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Large private surveys of students at multiple colleges consistently estimate that 1 in 5 college women are assaulted while attending university.
    — Kaitlyn M. Sims, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of assault
Verb
  • The recent success of a late-stage mRNA cancer vaccine, showing the drug stopped the return of melanoma, has boosted hopes that the approach can be successfully harnessed to attack other cancers.
    — Allison DeAngelis, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • In Ohio, Husted has been repeatedly attacked for his role in attracting data centers to Ohio as lieutenant governor.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • Cyrus, who becomes an administrator of veterans’ benefits, leaves his sons such large sums that Charles (Mike Faist) concludes that the old man must have raided his agency’s funds.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Eleven current and former Ford Heights officials are facing 79 felony charges after investigators raided the Village Hall on Thursday to execute a search warrant.
    — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of raid
Verb
  • Videos from that day showed militants gunning down fleeing revelers, shooting the wounded at point-blank range and ambushing those seeking refuge in bomb shelters.
    — Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Shot in the Canary Islands, Doom Scroll watches as a family’s Passover Seder is ambushed by intruders hungry for revenge, viral fame and power.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of ambush
Verb
  • The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, after passengers stormed the cockpit and wrenched back controlfrom the attacker, who Israeli officials suspect was trying to crash the plane.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Like magic, upon the proclamation, arm lift, and beat drop, pouring rain storms down upon the audience.
    — Miki Hellerbach, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of storm
Verb
  • The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces overnight struck targets in Ukraine's southern Odesa region on the Black Sea coast with drones.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has largely rebounded, but only at great risk to tankers, 20 of which have been struck in the last month, suggesting recovery could be unsustainable.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of strike

Browse Nearby Words

bushrangers
bushwhack
bushwhacked
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bushwhack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bushwhack. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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