biv·ouac
ˈbi-və-ˌwak 
ˈbiv-ˌwak
1
: a usually temporary encampment under little or no shelter
2
a
: encampment usually for a night
b
: a temporary or casual shelter or lodging
bivouacked; bivouacking
2
: to take shelter often temporarily
: to provide temporary quarters for
They were bivouacked in the gym during the storm.
Did you know?
In his 1841 dictionary, Noah Webster observed bivouac to be a French borrowing having military origins. He defined the noun bivouac as "the guard or watch of a whole army, as in cases of great danger of surprise or attack" and the verb as "to watch or be on guard, as a whole army." The French word is derived from the Low German word biwacht, which translates to "by guard." Germans used the word specifically for a patrol of citizens who assisted the town watch at night. Today, bivouac has less to do with guarding and patrolling than it does with taking shelter.
Examples of bivouac in a Sentence
Noun
soldiers setting up a bivouac by the stream
Verb
the army bivouacked for the night by the lake
survivors of the tornado were bivouacked in the church basement
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 7 Apr. 2025
It was followed by a two-day marathon stage with volcanic terrain that led into a field of splendid canyons, and a special bivouac without service vehicles.
—Sue Mead, Popular Science, 13 Feb. 2025
There is even a vintage bivouac (mountain hut for sleeping) on display.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
The decision to conduct an initial survey and then, later, bivouac inland had been made by someone higher up.
—Jeff Vandermeer, WIRED, 22 Oct. 2024
Images of parrots and bivouacs, acid-green leaves and misty forests filled my head.
—Nell Frizzell, Vogue, 5 May 2024
Whatever the future of downtown may hold, the present offers a grimmer form of walkable density: a growing city of tents and cardboard bivouacs lined up along Skid Row.
—Curbed, 29 Nov. 2023
The team carrying the stretcher had passed a bivouac site about 500 meters, or 1,640 feet, below the surface on Sunday, the European Cave Rescue Association said.
—Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2023
Kovacs said lifting Dickey could take several days and that several bivouac points are being prepared along the way so the rescue personnel and Dickey can rest.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 7 Sep. 2023
Tori Latham, Robb Report, 25 Aug. 2025
By the way, that's the building where thousands of the troops who will be marching in the parade will bivouac, sleeping on cots and bringing their own sleeping bags.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 11 June 2025
On the sidewalks lay many of the homeless, an anonymous army bivouacked beneath blankets or balled up fetally, uncovered.
—Andrew Kay, Harpers Magazine, 28 May 2025
Maoist rebels bivouacked in valleys beyond Kathmandu, promising to topple the monarch and his parliamentary cronies, and install an egalitarian people’s republic.
—Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 11 Sep. 2023
Thousands of those fighters are now bivouacked in Belarus.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 23 July 2023
Mazzei’s vineyards showed promise but, according to one legend, were destroyed during the Revolutionary War by rambunctious Hessian prisoners bivouacked there.
—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2023
Some cyclists thrive on riding 1,000 miles in cutoff denim shorts, drinking from streams, bivouacking under the stars, and tempting fate with every decision.
—Stephanie Pearson, WIRED, 31 May 2021
And now comes the coronavirus, which has prompted people to bivouac in their homes, theaters to put in place social-distancing restrictions and studios to postpone most theatrical releases through the end of April.
—New York Times, 14 Mar. 2020
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Noun
The bivouac is just a temporary perch where hundreds of bees will swarm to and cluster as scout bees look for a new permanent dwelling.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 7 Apr. 2025
It was followed by a two-day marathon stage with volcanic terrain that led into a field of splendid canyons, and a special bivouac without service vehicles.
—Sue Mead, Popular Science, 13 Feb. 2025
There is even a vintage bivouac (mountain hut for sleeping) on display.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
The decision to conduct an initial survey and then, later, bivouac inland had been made by someone higher up.
—Jeff Vandermeer, WIRED, 22 Oct. 2024
Images of parrots and bivouacs, acid-green leaves and misty forests filled my head.
—Nell Frizzell, Vogue, 5 May 2024
Whatever the future of downtown may hold, the present offers a grimmer form of walkable density: a growing city of tents and cardboard bivouacs lined up along Skid Row.
—Curbed, 29 Nov. 2023
The team carrying the stretcher had passed a bivouac site about 500 meters, or 1,640 feet, below the surface on Sunday, the European Cave Rescue Association said.
—Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2023
Kovacs said lifting Dickey could take several days and that several bivouac points are being prepared along the way so the rescue personnel and Dickey can rest.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 7 Sep. 2023
Verb
The home encompasses 6,000 square feet in total with numerous options where friends and family can bivouac comfortably.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 25 Aug. 2025
By the way, that's the building where thousands of the troops who will be marching in the parade will bivouac, sleeping on cots and bringing their own sleeping bags.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 11 June 2025
On the sidewalks lay many of the homeless, an anonymous army bivouacked beneath blankets or balled up fetally, uncovered.
—Andrew Kay, Harpers Magazine, 28 May 2025
Maoist rebels bivouacked in valleys beyond Kathmandu, promising to topple the monarch and his parliamentary cronies, and install an egalitarian people’s republic.
—Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 11 Sep. 2023
Thousands of those fighters are now bivouacked in Belarus.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 23 July 2023
Mazzei’s vineyards showed promise but, according to one legend, were destroyed during the Revolutionary War by rambunctious Hessian prisoners bivouacked there.
—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2023
Some cyclists thrive on riding 1,000 miles in cutoff denim shorts, drinking from streams, bivouacking under the stars, and tempting fate with every decision.
—Stephanie Pearson, WIRED, 31 May 2021
And now comes the coronavirus, which has prompted people to bivouac in their homes, theaters to put in place social-distancing restrictions and studios to postpone most theatrical releases through the end of April.
—New York Times, 14 Mar. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Bivouac.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bivouac. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bivouac
1 of 2 noun
biv·ouac
ˈbiv-ˌwak
-ə-ˌwak
: a temporary camp
bivouac
2 of 2 verb
bivouacked; bivouacking
: to camp in a bivouac
Etymology
Noun
French, from a German dialect word biwacht, literally, "on guard"
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