hatchet

noun

hatch·​et ˈha-chət How to pronounce hatchet (audio)
1
: a short-handled ax often with a hammerhead to be used with one hand
2

Examples of hatchet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The victim survived the attack and told responding officers that a man hit him in the head with a hatchet six times and kicked him in the face four times before fleeing, FOX29 Philadelphia reported. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 26 Feb. 2024 During their search, officers found a hatchet, sword, blood, hair and a micro-torch, officials said. Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 6 Feb. 2024 In fact, before a Christmas party of any size can be gathered together, certain hatchets will have to be buried, if only for the duration of the peace and goodwill season. Nancy Mitford, Vogue, 24 Dec. 2023 The hatchets come out within the first two minutes of the premiere, as Ah Sahm takes on a half-dozen Long Zii soldiers by himself. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2023 The country stars famously feuded over their political views in 2002 and 2003, though Keith, who died on Monday night at age 62, eventually said that a personal tragedy inspired him to bury the hatchet. Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2024 Flinging hatchets and paint are good ways to work up an appetite, eh? Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2024 The post ends with a knife emoji, followed by a hatchet emoji and emojis of three drops of blood. Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023 Maybe the Kathy and Theresa were wise enough to realize that holding grudges simply isn't worth the effort and made the mature decision to bury the hatchet after the season finale of The Golden Bachelor. Sam Reed, Glamour, 5 Jan. 2024

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

Middle English hachet, from Anglo-French hachette, diminutive of hache battle-ax — more at hash

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hatchet was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near hatchet

Cite this Entry

“Hatchet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hatchet. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hatchet

noun
hatch·​et ˈhach-ət How to pronounce hatchet (audio)
: a small ax with a short handle
Etymology

Middle English hachet "small ax, hatchet," from early French hachette, literally, "small battle-ax," from hache "battle-ax"; of Germanic origin — related to hash entry 1, hatch entry 4

Medical Definition

hatchet

noun
hatch·​et ˈhach-ət How to pronounce hatchet (audio)
: a dental excavator

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