What does "tomahawk" mean?
An axe used by Native American warriors, originally made of stone, bone, or antler.
Tomahawk
/ˈtɑ.mə.hɔk/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An axe used by Native American warriors, originally made of stone, bone, or antler.
- Grammar: tomahawk is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: hatchet, ax, battle axe, bearded axe.
- Useful contrasts: avoid, ballistic missile, miss.
- Usage evidence: In putting up his tent, Captain Brady's tomahawk had slipped and cut his knee, by which he was lamed for some time.
How to use "tomahawk"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tomahawk" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tomahawk" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tomahawk" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tomahawk" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tomahawk" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hatchet" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tomahawk", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An axe used by Native American warriors, originally made of stone, bone, or antler.
"yeerely bring into our store house, at the beginning of their haruest two bushels of corne a man […] for which they should receiue so many Iron Tomahawkes or small hatchets."
- 2 The BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM), a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile with stubby wings, which can be launched from a ship or submarine.
"U.S. Navy surface ships launching Tomahawks against Chinese targets would thus have to approach within China's antiship-missile perimeter to bring their missiles in range (more on this in chapter 4)."
- 3 weapon consisting of a fighting ax; used by North American Indians wordnet
- 4 A dunk performed with one's arm behind one's head.
- 5 A geometric construction consisting of a semicircle and two line segments that serves as a tool for trisecting an angle; so called from its resemblance to the American Indian axe.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A field hockey shot style that involves a player turning their hockey stick upside-down and swinging it so that its inside edge will come into contact with the ball.
Verb
- 1 To strike or cut up with a tomahawk. transitive
"In a moment the savage wretches dashed at him, and "tomahawked" the unfortunate man, who fell backwards into his cabin."
- 2 kill with a tomahawk wordnet
- 3 To girdle or incise the trees around (an area of land) so as to claim ownership of it. historical, transitive
"He was the owner of 1,300 acres of land bought from the government and located where the city of Lexington, Ky., now stands. After his marriage he tomahawked an area of 600 acres near Carmichaelstown, […]"
- 4 cut with a tomahawk wordnet
- 5 To perform a tomahawk dunk. transitive
"When the league held its first slam-dunk contest in 1984 in Denver, Nance, then a Phoenix Sun, soared into the rafters with a basketball in each hand and tomahawked each one through the net before floating back to earth […]"
Proper Noun
- 1 A place name:; A rural locality in Dorset council area, north-east Tasmania, Australia.
- 2 A place name:; A hamlet in Parkland County, Alberta, Canada.
- 3 A place name:; A number of places in the United States:; A township in Searcy County, Arkansas.
- 4 A place name:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Martin County, Kentucky.
- 5 A place name:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Berkeley County, West Virginia.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A place name:; A number of places in the United States:; A city in Lincoln County, Wisconsin.
- 7 A place name:; A number of places in the United States:; A town in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, adjacent to the city.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"In putting up his tent, Captain Brady's tomahawk had slipped and cut his knee, by which he was lamed for some time."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tomahawk"?
Common synonyms include: hatchet, ax, battle axe, bearded axe, camp axe, chop.
How do you use "tomahawk" in a sentence?
In putting up his tent, Captain Brady's tomahawk had slipped and cut his knee, by which he was lamed for some time.
How do you pronounce "tomahawk"?
Pronounced /ˈtɑ.mə.hɔk/.
Etymology
From an Eastern Algonquian word, most likely Powhatan tumahák; compare also Malecite-Passamaquoddy tomhikon (“axe”), Abenaki temahigan, demahigan (“axe”).