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

The largest in recent years, nearly $24 million, was awarded to the family of a Navy veteran who was shot in Canoga Park in 2017 while holding a metal bar that police thought was a machete. — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

The crooks beat him savagely, at one point slashing him with a machete, while demanding his iPhone password, officials said. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 22 Sep. 2026

Officers responded and found the suspect with the machete in the 3400 block of Broadway Boulevard. — Briauna Brown, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026

Over-screening is like using a machete to open a peanut shell. — Sheldon H. Jacobson, Twin Cities, 6 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