matzo

noun

mat·​zo ˈmät-sə 

 also  -(ˌ)sō

variants or matzoh

plural matzoth ˈmät-ˌsōt 

-ˌsōth,

-sōs

or matzos or matzohs ˈmät-səz 

-səs,

 also  -ˌsōz

1

: unleavened bread eaten especially at the Passover

2

: a wafer of matzo

Examples of matzo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The big picture: During Passover, which is sundown Saturday to sundown April 20 this year, observers eat matzo and other unleavened breads as a way to remember that the Jews fled Egypt so fast that their dough didn't have time to rise. —Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 11 Apr. 2025

Unleavened matzo takes center stage at the Seder table, to accompany many, many other delicious things, including classics like crispy potato kugel, brisket, matzo brei and Joan Nathan’s five-star matzo ball soup (above). —Sam Sifton, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025

This recipe comes to us from Barbara Wand, a home cook in Newton, Massachusetts, who makes matzo brei every year for Passover. —Barbara Wand, Saveur, 2 Apr. 2025

To make it, bake matzo crackers beneath a buttery topping of brown-sugar toffee and then cover it in bittersweet chocolate. —Melissa Kirsch, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Yiddish matse, from Hebrew maṣṣāh

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing matzo

• matzo ball
• matzo meal

Kids Definition

matzo

noun

mat·​zo

variants or matzoh

ˈmät-sə 

-ˌsō

plural matzoth -ˌsōth 

-ˌsōt,

-sōs

or matzos or matzohs -səz 

-səs,

-ˌsōz

: unleavened bread eaten at the Passover