tomahawk

1 of 2

noun

tom·​a·​hawk ˈtä-mi-ˌhȯk How to pronounce tomahawk (audio)
: a light ax used as a missile and as a hand weapon especially by North American Indians

tomahawk

2 of 2

verb

tomahawked; tomahawking; tomahawks

transitive verb

: to cut, strike, or kill with a tomahawk

Examples of tomahawk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The result is dishes such as a 45-day dry-aged tomahawk steak, cooked for three hours near indirect flame and finished on the grill. Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024 Redirecting her focus to the Chiefs, Gladstone said that tomahawk chop and chant that the team's fans do during games all adds up to one problem. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 20 Feb. 2024 Before Riordan emptied its bench, Rencher used a clever move to slip past his defender, and then almost brought the roof down at Frida Kahlo Way with a vicious one-handed tomahawk jam. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 In the middle of the fourth quarter of the Wildcats’ championship win over Franklin Central on Saturday night, point guard Kobi Bowles charged down the middle of the lane and fired down a tomahawk left-handed dunk. Miller, who had 22 points and 14 rebounds, smartly played it down the middle. The Indianapolis Star, 15 Jan. 2024 This is a steakhouse lover’s mecca, with caviar service and prime dry-aged porterhouses and Wagyu tomahawks and poached Maine lobster and Key West shrimp, and ingredients sourced from local ranches and farms. Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2024 Love had a tomahawk dunk after nearly losing the ball, followed with a long 3. John Marshall, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2024 Ian saves Jamie once or twice with a tomahawk because that's what Ian does. Lincee Ray, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2023 Rencher scored 12, and sophomore guard Andrew Hilman thrilled the packed gymnasium with a variety of crafty drives and tomahawk dunks on his way to 16 points. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 5 Jan. 2024
Verb
Gallen left another pitch up in the fourth and Albies tomahawked it out to right, tying it at 3. John Marshall, ajc, 4 June 2023 With a one-on-one battle against right tackle Morgan Moses, the Bears star turned the corner and tomahawked Keenum’s right forearm. Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 27 Sep. 2019 Leadoff man George Springer tomahawked Strasburg’s first pitch and almost knocked down the left field wall for a double. BostonGlobe.com, 30 Oct. 2019 Hayes viciously tomahawked the unquestioned highlight of this year’s July event. Jake Fischer, SI.com, 10 July 2019 Albert Almora tomahawked a chin-high fastball down the right field line. Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, 3 July 2018 On Mount Shuksan, Adam caught an edge on both the northwest couloir and the line above Hanging Glacier, his body tomahawking through space. Christopher Solomon, Outside Online, 22 Mar. 2018 There was Glover Quinn tomahawking the ball way from Doug Martin. Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press, 10 Dec. 2017 In his first at-bat, with two runners on in the second inning, Austin looked at two changeups before tomahawking a high fastball high over the Green Monster to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Billy Witz, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tomahawk.' 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

Noun

Virginia Algonquian tomahack

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1612, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1650, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tomahawk was circa 1612

Dictionary Entries Near tomahawk

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

tomahawk

noun
tom·​a·​hawk
ˈtäm-i-ˌhȯk
: a light ax used as a weapon especially by North American Indians
tomahawk verb

More from Merriam-Webster on tomahawk

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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