hatchet

[ hach-it ]

/ ˈhætʃ ɪt /

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

Definition of hatchet

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.

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

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Idioms about 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. 2022

How to use hatchet in a sentence

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with hatchet

hatchet

In addition to the idioms beginning with hatchet

hatchet job
hatchet man

also see:

bury the hatchet

hatchet

Definition of hatchet

Idioms about hatchet

Origin of hatchet

OTHER WORDS FROM hatchet

Words nearby hatchet

Words related to hatchet

How to use hatchet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hatchet

Derived forms of hatchet

Word Origin for hatchet

Other Idioms and Phrases with hatchet