Meaning & use
a tomahawk
Last updated
“a tomahawk” is a form of “tomahawk”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
a light axe with a long handle, formerly used by Native American peoples and later by soldiers.
Grammar: Countable: 'a tomahawk', 'two tomahawks'.
Patterns
- carry a tomahawk
- throw a tomahawk
The museum displays a tomahawk made of stone and wood.
He learned to throw a tomahawk at a target.
nouncountablemilitary
a modern military axe or a missile named after this axe.
Grammar: Used in military contexts, often in the phrase 'Tomahawk missile'.
Patterns
- a Tomahawk missile
- launch a Tomahawk
The navy launched a Tomahawk missile during the exercise.
Soldiers used a tomahawk to break through the door.
Word forms
| plural | tomahawks |
|---|
Common combinations
- throw a tomahawk
- She can throw a tomahawk with great accuracy.
- carry a tomahawk
- The reenactor carried a tomahawk on his belt.
- Tomahawk missile
- The Tomahawk missile hit its target.
- a tomahawk handle
- The tomahawk handle was wrapped in leather.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hatchet
- A hatchet is a small axe for general use; a tomahawk is a specific historical or military type.
- axe
- 'Axe' is the general word; 'tomahawk' is a particular kind.
Word family
- tomahawk verb
- to strike or cut with a tomahawk (rare)
Commonly confused: a tomahawk or tomahawk?
a tomahawk vs tomahawk
Not to be confused with 'tomato' or 'hawk'; the word is one unit.
Practice
The warrior carried ___ into battle.
Choose one answer.
'A tomahawk' is the correct singular countable form; 'tomahawk' alone needs a determiner, 'tomahawks' is plural, and 'the tomahawk' would refer to a specific one already mentioned.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a tomahawk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.