Bivouac
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 An encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering.
"Townsend hare inhabit this area, particularly above the cabin, and a skier is likely to have one explode from a tree well and disappear into the whiteness as he skis by. Life is a constant bivouac for them -- they spend days huddled in tree wells during storms -- but I suspect they are as content and warm in their luxurious coats as we are in a cabin."
- 2 temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers wordnet
- 3 Any temporary encampment.
- 4 a site where people on holiday can pitch a tent wordnet
- 5 A temporary shelter constructed generally for a few nights.
"Behold the Mansion reared by Dædal Jack! See the Malt stored in many a plethoric sack, In the proud cirque of Juan's bivouac!"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 The watch of a whole army by night, when in danger of surprise or attack. dated
- 7 A structure formed by migratory ants out of their own bodies to protect the queen and larvae.
- 1 To set up camp. intransitive, transitive
"We'll bivouac here tonight."
- 2 live in or as if in a tent wordnet
- 3 To watch at night or be on guard, as a whole army. intransitive
- 4 To encamp for the night without tents or covering. intransitive
Example
More examples"Art is long, and Time is fleeting, And our hearts, though stout and brave, Still, like muffled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave. In the world’s broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife!"
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French bivouac (earlier biouac, bivac), from Alemannic German Biiwacht (“reinforcements of guard or town watch”), from bii- + Wacht (“watch, guard”).
Related phrases
More for "bivouac"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.