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.
Years later, the two had a poolside sit-down at a Los Angeles hotel to bury the hatchet and the two-hour conversation still wasn’t enough to patch things up, Francesa said. Mark Morales, CNN Money, 29 May 2025 The legislation also takes a hatchet to amortization, which is the depreciation of non-tangible assets often termed goodwill. Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 22 May 2025 Two weeks after an unprovoked hatchet attack nearly decapitated a man sitting with his wife at a Tucson, Arizona, bus stop, the suspect has been charged with first-degree murder. Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025 The men, who’d assembled on the moors hours earlier, were armed with muskets, sticks, hatchets, and heavy blacksmith’s hammers. John Cassidy, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 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 4 Jun. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on hatchet

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!