bushwhacked

Bushwhacked means ambushed, especially by attackers hiding in dense brush or woodland—the original sense comes from frontier warfare and guerrilla tactics.

More commonly now, it describes being utterly exhausted or worn out: After hiking twelve miles, we were completely bushwhacked.

In Australian English, bushwhacked can also mean lost or disoriented in the bush.

The word carries a sense of being caught off guard, whether by enemies or by fatigue.