machete

[ muh-shet-ee, -chet-ee ]

/ məˈʃɛt i, -ˈtʃɛt i /

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noun

a large heavy knife used especially in Latin American countries in cutting sugarcane and clearing underbrush and as a weapon.

a tarpon, Elops affinis, of the eastern Pacific Ocean, having an elongated, compressed body.

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Origin of machete

First recorded in 1575–1600; <Spanish, equivalent to mach(o) “mallet” (cf. mace¹) + -ete noun suffix (see -et)

Words nearby machete

mache, Machel, Machen, macher, ma chère, machete, Machiavelli, Machiavellian, Machiavellianism, Machiavelli, Niccolò, machi chips

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use machete in a sentence

You punched that girl and then answered the door with a fricking machete, man.
Unarmed 75-year-old Tasered without warning by Colorado officer: ‘What did I do?’|Julian Mark|July 23, 2021|Washington Post
The documents said Ramos’s hands were bound and that one defendant told police he repeatedly struck the teen with a machete.
Five young men charged in April slaying of teenager in Maryland|Jasmine Hilton, Dana Hedgpeth|June 24, 2021|Washington Post
Most of those laborers were involved in tasks considered hazardous such as wielding machetes, carrying heavy loads or working with pesticides, according to the report.
Supreme Court says chocolate companies cannot be sued over child slavery on African cocoa farms|Robert Barnes, Peter Whoriskey|June 17, 2021|Washington Post
He got his picture coming out of the bush, the jungle, in Ecuador with the machete.
Is Matthew McConaughey the Answer to the Texas Question?|Eugene Robinson|May 31, 2021|Ozy

Prosecutors accused one of the managers of brandishing a club and machete to threaten workers who were attempting to organize a union.
Wage Theft Is Common for Low-Level Workers, and Officials Are Starting to Take Notice|Jesse Marx and Maya Srikrishnan|May 19, 2021|Voice of San Diego
Twitter users posted pictures of the scene and claimed a man had been seen with a machete.
London Woman Beheaded by Machete-Wielding 'Madman'|Nico Hines|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Armed with an ax or a machete, he stops incoming cars for questioning: Who are they?
Nigeria’s Do-It-Yourself Boko Haram Busters|Nina Strochlic|May 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In one recent case, he said a man accused of kidnapping was hung from an iron bar and flogged with a machete.
How Nigeria’s Stupidly Brutal Cops Botch the Hunt for Boko Haram|Nico Hines|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The path for our group of six is being carved through tangles of vines and vegetation one machete hack at a time.
Can Gorillas Save the Democratic Republic of the Congo?|Nina Strochlic|April 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Robert Rodriguez grindhouse gore-fest, Machete Kills, slices and dices its way into theaters on Oct. 11.
‘Machete Kills’ Director Robert Rodriguez on His Favorite Cult Movies|Robert Rodriguez|October 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He dug a grave with his machete among the smoking ruins of the hacienda, in which he laid his brother's body.
The Pirates of the Prairies|Gustave Aimard
Millions of people from Texas to Patagonia have long found the machete an ever-ready tool.
Harper's Round Table, October 1, 1895|Various
He seized the lance, and, with it and the machete, retired to the convent.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XXXV, 1640-1649|Various
To men of to-day this jungle would have been impenetrable, except by the incessant use of axe or machete.
In the Morning of Time|Charles G. D. Roberts
The Ulleran whirled, swinging a blade somewhere between a big butcherknife and a small machete.
Uller Uprising|Henry Beam Piper, John D. Clark and John F. Carr

British Dictionary definitions for machete

machete

matchet

/ (məˈʃɛtɪ, -ˈtʃeɪ-) /

noun

a broad heavy knife used for cutting or as a weapon, esp in parts of Central and South America

Word Origin for machete

C16 macheto, from Spanish machete, from macho club, perhaps from Vulgar Latin mattea (unattested) club

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

machete

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British Dictionary definitions for machete

matchet

Word Origin for machete