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

But one video posted to social media that appears to show a young man wielding a machete and counting down to the deadline has put migrants like Nyirenda on edge. — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 29 June 2026

Airborne laser mapping allowed researchers to peer through the dense canopy to detect the 37-acre settlement on the Yucatán peninsula; the team then hacked a three-mile path through the jungle with machetes to reach the site, which features a 43-foot-tall pyramid temple. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 25 June 2026

To conduct a surface reconnaissance of Minanbé, the archaeologists and community workers cleared a path with machetes for three miles, then advanced on foot and by ATVs to the site. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026

According to several social media posts on X, someone reportedly brandishing a machete was allegedly shot by an officer or officers. — Kairi Lowery, Miami Herald, 21 June 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