machete

noun

ma·​chete mə-ˈshe-tē How to pronounce machete (audio)
-ˈche-;
-ˈshet
: a large heavy knife used for cutting sugarcane and underbrush and as a weapon

Examples of machete in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web All but one had been starved. Inside the shed, police investigators found a machete, a homemade electrical prod, crossbow arrows, aluminum bats, and several other weapons. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 The rule of law has largely collapsed: Last month, a 13-year-old girl and her father, a voodoo priest, were killed with machetes by gang members. Declan Walsh, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 This all happened after Nami won the first reward challenge, winning a machete, pot and flint, all vital to build shelter, cook food and make fire. Brian Anthony Hernandez, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 The two machetes were recovered at the scene, authorities said. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2024 Prosecutors alleged the six suspects hacked up five people with a machete and dumped three other victims in a shallow grave. Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 13 Feb. 2024 One of the highly emotional movie’s most disturbing scenes depicts the true-to-life machete attack Chiti experienced at the age of 15 when he was confronted by criminals hoping to profit from the sale of his body parts for witchcraft rituals. Gus Alexiou, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 Responding officers found a large kitchen knife and machete at the scene, according to a police criminal complaint. Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2024 The officer secured the weapon and then noticed the handle if a machete under the man’s clothing, the statement says. Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'machete.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Spanish

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of machete was in 1575

Dictionary Entries Near machete

Cite this Entry

“Machete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/machete. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

machete

noun
ma·​chete mə-ˈshet-ē How to pronounce machete (audio)
-ˈchet-ē;
mə-ˈshet
: a large heavy knife used especially for cutting sugarcane and underbrush and as a weapon
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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