macho

adjective ma·cho \ ˈmä-(ˌ)chō \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of macho

: characterized by machismo : aggressively virile

See macho defined for English-language learners

Examples of macho in a Sentence

the macho world of football

Recent Examples of macho from the Web

Amid the juvenile gore (head explosions, ears blown off, a foot sliced open) Fargeat crafts scenes of exquisite suspense and ably upends convention by turning macho men into vulnerable victims.

— taylor antrim, Vogue, "Revenge Is an Exploitation Movie for the #MeToo Era," 11 May 2018
Campaigning as an outsider, Jokowi beat the macho Prabowo Subianto, like SBY a former general under Suharto, the long-serving strongman who fell in 1998.

— The Economist, "Indonesia’s president is neither a grubby politician nor a diehard reformer," 10 May 2018
But like Rodger, the best exclamation point to his pathetic life was a macho provocation.

— david j. krajicek, Sun-Sentinel.com, "'Incel' killers: Man who gunned down three women in 2009 set tone for 'involuntary celibate' mass murderers," 6 May 2018
Roskam credits Exarchopoulos, 24, with making sure Bibi didn’t get overpowered in a world of macho bravado.

— loren king, BostonGlobe.com, "Michael Roskam creates ‘melo-noir’ with ‘Racer and the Jailbird’," 3 May 2018
Polaris Slingshot The Polaris Slingshot looks like something a macho sports star would buy on his first big payday.

— anne burke, San Francisco Chronicle, "Five wackiest ways to get around Las Vegas," 2 May 2018
Food items include a black bean quesadilla, burrito platters, carne asada, macho nachos and fajitas.

— leeanne griffin, courant.com, "Join The Fiesta: Where To Celebrate Cinco De Mayo," 2 May 2018
Second, all the macho chest-bumping forces female characters like Black Widow and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) into the background.

— ty burr, BostonGlobe.com, "A crowded ‘Avengers’ ends up making the villain the central figure," 25 Apr. 2018
This trimmed the opera’s considerable length and clarified its central point in a modern context: When macho Thésée attempts to meddle with Fate, Diane asserts the prerogative of the gods—and goddesses—to determine mortal destinies.

— heidi waleson, WSJ, "French Opera Takes Over New York," 23 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'macho.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of macho

Spanish, literally, male, from Latin masculus — more at masculine

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1928

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

macho

noun

Definition of macho

plural machos

1 : one who exhibits machismo

2 : machismo

Examples of macho in a Sentence

their annual guys-only hunting trip is a celebration of macho

Recent Examples of macho from the Web

Some were placing their bets on Joe Biden And others backed Donald Trump This macho sparring has cropped up before.

— dwight adams, Indianapolis Star, "Why Twitter spat between Donald Trump and Joe Biden might hurt anti-bullying efforts," 22 Mar. 2018
In the office, only his perceptive assistant, Mary Johnson, sees beneath his macho-man swagger.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "A gay love affair in '50s D.C. plays out to touching effect in 'Fellow Travelers'," 18 Mar. 2018
The two Howards are part of that apparatus, the meek Howard a paper-shuffler in the original world and the macho Howard a covert agent for the splinter world.

— mike hale, New York Times, "Review: ‘Counterpart’ Gives Us J.K. Simmons, Times Two," 19 Jan. 2018
After that, law school at NYU, then a job at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, the most decorated and macho of the city’s white-shoe firms.

— simon van zuylen-wood, Daily Intelligencer, "Does This Man Know More Than Robert Mueller?," 21 Jan. 2018
John Trengove's The Wound examines South Africa's hyper-macho and homophobic culture through a story of a closeted gay man tasked with initiating a teenage boy in the traditional ways of manhood.

— scott roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, "Oscars: How Real-World Events Could Impact the Foreign-Language Race," 8 Jan. 2018
Unlike Samsung’s macho-big Gear S3, its smaller, cheaper sibling will fit a range of wrists.

— jeffrey van camp, WIRED, "Review: Samsung Gear Sport," 31 Oct. 2017
The Dodgers are trying to win the World Series, not some macho, turn-back-the-clock sentiment.

— tom verducci, SI.com, "Clayton Kershaw's Masterpiece Elevates Dodgers over Astros in Game 1 of the World Series," 25 Oct. 2017
France and the United States have produced some of the most famous feminist thinkers in history, but both countries also have a huge macho culture.

— mary wang, Vogue, "Gloria Steinem's Advice for The Next Generation of Feminists Is a Must-Read for Our Time," 13 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of macho

1951

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

macho Synonyms

MACHO Defined for English Language Learners

macho

adjective

Definition of macho for English Language Learners

: having or showing qualities (such as very noticeable strength and aggression) that agree with traditional ideas about what men are like : manly or masculine in a very noticeable or exaggerated way