macho

American  

[mah-choh] / ˈmɑ tʃoʊ /

adjective

1. having or characterized by qualities considered manly, especially when manifested in an assertive, self-conscious, or dominating way.

2. having a strong or exaggerated sense of power or the right to dominate.

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noun

plural

machos

1. Also machoism assertive or aggressive manliness; machismo.

2. an assertively virile, dominating, or domineering male.

macho British  

/ ˈmætʃəʊ /

adjective

1. denoting or exhibiting pride in characteristics believed to be typically masculine, such as physical strength, sexual appetite, etc

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noun

1. a man who displays such characteristics

MACHO Scientific  

/ mä′chō /

1. Short for massive astrophysical compact halo object. Any of various massive dark objects, such as a brown dwarf star, black hole, or large planet, found in a galactic halo. MACHOs are thought to make up at least a part of the dark matter that apparently pervades much of the universe.

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macho Cultural  

1. The often exaggerated, aggressive virility of a male: “Jim likes to wear a torn T-shirt and a black leather jacket when he rides his motorcycle. I guess he thinks it makes him look macho.” The original Spanish word means “male.”

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Other Word Forms

• antimacho adjective
• supermacho noun
• unmacho adjective

Etymology

Origin of macho

An Americanism first recorded in 1925–30; from Spanish: literally, “male,” from Latin masculus; male, masculine

Example Sentences

Baritone Erik Nordstrom did his best with the too-obvious character of Tyson as a macho egotist with hidden wounds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

Indian cinema's, and especially Bollywood's, fixation with the macho hero goes back to Amitabh Bachchan's "angry young man" image of the 1970s.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

Judy, the first rabbit to join the city's police force, has proven to her macho colleagues — buffaloes, hippos, and warthogs — that she deserves her place in the investigative department.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

Various other theories have been put forward including the existence of a macho, hard-partying culture; a reluctance, especially among men, to seek mental health support; and even the country's long, dark winters.

From BBC • Sep. 1, 2025

Island was the hair-and-nails crowd, chaperones, and icky boys with all their macho strutting and unbuttoned shirts and hairy chests with gold chains and teensy gold crucifixes.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• aggressive
• cocky
• manly
• masculine