macho

1 of 2

adjective

ma·​cho ˈmä-(ˌ)chō How to pronounce macho (audio)
: characterized by machismo : aggressively virile

macho

2 of 2

noun

plural machos
1
: one who exhibits machismo
2

Examples of macho in a Sentence

Adjective the macho world of football Noun their annual guys-only hunting trip is a celebration of macho
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Beginning his act while seated in the audience, with a cowboy hat obscuring his impossibly angular features, Gosling was in character as the woebegone Ken, a macho hunk doomed to play beta in the toy netherworld of Barbie. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 Politicians use macho displays to assert dominance and not-so-subtly telegraph nostalgia for the old days. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 There were Zoot suits, ranchero plaids and jeans, and track suits of the kind Dominican macho men wear around the city. Vogue Runway, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2024 SpongeBob and Patrick were meant to be a breath of fresh air and provide an alternative perspective on the game, in contrast to other Super Bowl coverage that typically includes more hyper-masculine and macho commentary. Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2024 The parody in the film combines standard-issue macho violence and intentionally cheap sentiment. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2024 Dugan remembers being confused about the suggestion that Weathers would play former golf pro Chubbs, given that the actor was previously an NFL player and known for more macho roles. Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Feb. 2024 She’s quickly confronted by resounding macho attitudes, eventually facing the club’s owners and taking players, and the neighborhood, on a journey away from their collective ignorance. John Hopewell, Variety, 28 Nov. 2023 But the moments that stick with you in the days and weeks afterwards are the quiet ones: glimpses into the life of a kid plucked from a macho culture and raised in secret. Peter Debruge, Variety, 29 Jan. 2024
Noun
Sometimes a polarizing figure in country music, the 6-foot-4 singer broke out in the country boom years of the 1990s, crafting an identity around his macho, pro-American swagger and writing songs that fans loved to hear. Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024 The British actor plays the lead role of Cash (all the characters have names like that), whose macho bona fides are established in the opening sequence in which he’s shown doing shirtless pull-ups and push-ups, his chiseled musculature clearly earned the hard way. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024 If being a macho who loves gold accessories is suddenly a crime, the entire diaspora is in trouble. Jp Brammer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2023 The reality is that American politics since Trump beat Clinton has taken a turn back to the macho. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2023 The folks at Pontiac realize this is their image leader, and they're not all convinced the T/A can lose its four-speed, big-motor macho all at once and save face with a turbocharger. Don Sherman, Car and Driver, 1 May 2023

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

Adjective

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

First Known Use

Adjective

1949, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1949, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of macho was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near macho

Cite this Entry

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

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