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

Brisbane police received a call around 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday about a 13-year-old girl being assaulted by her mother with a machete at Hilton Homewood Suites at 2000 Shoreline Ct. —Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2024

Mackenzie had put together a security force, which patrolled the villages with machetes, hammers, and knives and prevented members from escaping. —Alexis Okeowo, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024

Franz Ruf, the head of public safety in Austria, said that after a search in one of the suspects’ homes, police found machetes, knives, chemical explosives, ISIS propaganda, and 21,000 euros in counterfeit bills. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 9 Aug. 2024

An argument between two men in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday night ended with one killing the other with a machete, police said. —Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined above

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