hatchet

[ hach-it ]

/ ˈhætʃ ɪt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: hatchet / hatcheted / hatcheting on Thesaurus.com

noun

a small, short-handled ax having the end of the head opposite the blade in the form of a hammer, made to be used with one hand.

a tomahawk.

hatchetfish.

verb (used with object)

to cut, destroy, kill, etc., with a hatchet.

to abridge, delete, excise, etc.: The network censor may hatchet 30 minutes from the script.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar Coach

Improve Your Writing

Idioms for hatchet

bury the hatchet, to become reconciled or reunited; make peace.

take up the hatchet, to begin or resume hostilities; prepare for or go to war: The natives are taking up the hatchet against the enemy.

Origin of hatchet

1300–50; 1670–80, Americanismfor def. 6; Middle English hachet<Middle French hachette, diminutive (see -et) of hache ax <Frankish *hapja kind of knife; akin to Greek kóptein to cut (cf. comma, syncope)

OTHER WORDS FROM hatchet

hatch·et·like, adjective

Words nearby hatchet

hatchback, hatch boat, hatcheck, hatchel, hatchery, hatchet, hatchet face, hatchetfish, hatchet job, hatchet man, hatchettite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for hatchet

This is a subject that people tend to have pretty strong opinions about, so please don’t think I’m so insane as to attempt a detailed stacking guide for Outside, only to have the woodsmansplainers bust out their hatchets.
How to Find Zen by Splitting and Stacking Wood|Martin Fritz Huber|March 1, 2021|Outside Online
In a room on the right, Mono finds a hatchet that’s just about as long as he is tall.
‘Little Nightmares II’: A hypnotic, dark fairy tale|Christopher Byrd|February 9, 2021|Washington Post
At the Sussex County Courthouse in Georgetown, political rivals literally bury the hatchet.
Lovely, little Delaware — long famous for corporations, chickens and credit cards — is ready for its big moment|Karen Heller|January 12, 2021|Washington Post
Prosecutors claim that Silento walked into a stranger’s home in Los Angeles that was unlocked on Saturday and then began swinging a hatchet at two people.
Silento Charged After Attacking Strangers With A Hatchet|Joi-Marie McKenzie|September 4, 2020|Essence.com

The conviction of the man known as The Hatchet, infamous for filming himself torturing gay people, is good news.
Jail Won't Stop Russia's Anti-Gay Psycho|Jay Michaelson|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is not a hatchet job, and it certainly could have been.
Wheeere’s Johnny?|Malcolm Jones|October 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
From Kimmel and Kanye burying the hatchet to a telekinetic coffee shop surprise, WATCH our countdown.
‘We Can’t Stop’ a Cappella, Coffee Shop Telekinesis & More Viral Videos|Natasha Bach|October 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And, he added, a mayor would be foolish to attempt to “take a hatchet to the financial industry.”
Can Bill de Blasio Fix New York’s Income Inequality?|David Freedlander|September 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
According to the police report, officers also found a Taser and a hatchet in the house.
Anna Benson, Former ‘Baseball Wife,’ Reportedly Snaps. What Happened?|Christine Pelisek|July 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The formation of an axe or hatchet, however crude it may have been, would naturally lead to another step in advance.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
He had the hatchet face of the clever Yankee, alert, sharply defined, with a high-bridged and rather bold English nose.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
To be sure, he might kill the dog with the hatchet, but such butchery was repugnant to him, and he quickly dismissed the idea.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
It is not rare to find in primitive submarine formations these singular kinds of passages, which seem cut out with a hatchet.
Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo
The planking had been sawed, the timber cut with the hatchet, the ironwork with a file, the sheathing with the chisel.
Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for hatchet

hatchet

/ (ˈhætʃɪt) /

noun

a short axe used for chopping wood, etc

a tomahawk

(modifier) of narrow dimensions and sharp featuresa hatchet face

bury the hatchet to cease hostilities and become reconciled

Derived forms of hatchet

hatchet-like, adjective

Word Origin for hatchet

C14: from Old French hachette, from hache axe, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German happa knife

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with hatchet

hatchet

In addition to the idioms beginning with hatchet

hatchet job
hatchet man

also see:

bury the hatchet

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

hatchet