machete

noun

ma·​chete mə-ˈshe-tē 

-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

Before Jason ever picked up a machete, his mom was doing the bloody work. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026

Barrois also testified about cellphones collected and labeled by Haitian police, as well as machetes, rifles and 15 handguns. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026

Officials said one passenger attacked others with a machete, causing severe injuries and forcing dozens to jump into the water. — Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

Over the course of an hour and a half, team members made their way to the victims and used machetes and chainsaws to clear the overgrown trails. — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for machete

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

machete

noun

ma·​chete mə-ˈshet-ē 

-ˈchet-ē;

mə-ˈshet

: a large heavy knife used especially for cutting sugarcane and underbrush and as a weapon