# machete

/məˈʃɛˌti/ (US) · /mɐʃˈɛti/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/machete
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. a large knife

noun · CEFR B2

a large, heavy knife with a long blade used for cutting thick plants or grass.

For teachers: a large, heavy knife used as an implement for cutting through thick vegetation or as a weapon.

- The gardener used a machete to clear the thick weeds behind the house.
- The explorers relied on a heavy machete to hack through the dense undergrowth that blocked their path through the tropical forest.

### 2. to cut with a blade

verb · CEFR C2 · Informal

to cut or chop something using a machete.

For teachers: to cut, chop, or clear vegetation using a machete. Transitive — takes a direct object.

- They spent the afternoon macheteing a path through the tall grass.
- The workers were tasked with macheteing the overgrown vines that had begun to compromise the integrity of the perimeter fence.

Usage: The verb form is less common than the noun and is often used in descriptive or informal contexts.

Teaching tip: Learners should primarily focus on the noun; the verb form is relatively rare and often replaced by 'cut with a machete'.

### 3. musical instrument

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a small guitar-like instrument with four strings from Madeira, Portugal.

For teachers: a small four-stringed instrument of the guitar family, originating in Madeira and ancestral to the ukulele.

- The musician played a traditional folk song on his machete.
- Scholars of organology often cite the Portuguese machete as a direct predecessor to the Hawaiian ukulele.

Teaching tip: This sense is highly specialized; unless the student is studying music history or Portuguese culture, they are unlikely to encounter it.

## Examples

- He used a machete to clear the tall grass.
- The workers spent the morning using machetes to hack through the dense jungle vines blocking the path.
- In many agricultural societies, the machete serves as an indispensable multi-purpose tool, functioning as both a harvester for sugar cane and a primary instrument for land maintenance.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.