Machu Picchu

American

[mah-choo peek-choo, pee-choo] / ˈmɑ tʃu ˈpik tʃu, ˈpi tʃu /

noun

the site of an ancient Incan and pre-Incan city, about 7,000 feet (2,130 meters) above sea level in the Andes, in S central Peru.

Machu Picchu British

/ ˈmɑːtʃuː ˈpiːktʃuː /

noun

a ruined Incan city in S Peru

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And our aforementioned hike to Machu Picchu, we have a documentary about that, that will be premiering at a fancy festival at some point in the near-future.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

In college he spent summers hitchhiking around South America, hiking to Machu Picchu and mostly ignoring warnings of guerrilla activity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Fifteen people were injured when two trains crashed head-on Tuesday near the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, Peru's top tourist attraction, police and train operators said.

From Barron's • Dec. 30, 2025

Back in Aguas Calientes, Mr Caballero says he'd be happy to see both Consettur and San Antonio de Toronto run buses to and from Machu Picchu.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025

We still don’t have any idea how she learned the correct pronunciation of Machu Picchu, though.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023