hatchet

noun

hatch·​et ˈha-chət How to pronounce hatchet (audio)
1
: a short-handled ax often with a hammerhead to be used with one hand
2

Examples of hatchet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
All the while, he’s typically dressed in a form-fitting dress, a shoulder-length wig and heeled boots (because open-toed shoes around hatchets and augers could spell disaster). Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025 But there’s also plenty about Trump that Reagan Republicans like: tax cuts, deregulation, military spending and support for Israel, to name a few, not to mention his decision to let technology titan Elon Musk take a hatchet to the federal bureaucracy. David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2025 But that imperative becomes tough to comply with after Arch buries his hatchet in Ian’s arm. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 29 Nov. 2024 There have been other folding hatchets in the past, but CRKT calls the Provoke X design a first of its kind. New Atlas, 27 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hatchet

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hachet, from Anglo-French hachette, diminutive of hache battle-ax — more at hash

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hatchet was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hatchet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hatchet. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

hatchet

noun
hatch·​et ˈhach-ət How to pronounce hatchet (audio)
: a small ax with a short handle
Etymology

Middle English hachet "small ax, hatchet," from early French hachette, literally, "small battle-ax," from hache "battle-ax"; of Germanic origin — related to hash entry 1, hatch entry 4

Medical Definition

hatchet

noun
hatch·​et ˈhach-ət How to pronounce hatchet (audio)
: a dental excavator

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