Meaning & use
cutlass
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A short sword with a slightly curved blade, used by sailors in the past.
Grammar: Countable: a cutlass, two cutlasses.
Patterns
- draw a cutlass
- wield a cutlass
- a pirate's cutlass
The pirate drew his cutlass and jumped onto the deck.
Sailors used cutlasses for close combat on ships.
The museum displayed a rusty cutlass from the 18th century.
Word forms
| plural | cutlasses |
|---|
Common combinations
- draw a cutlass
- He drew his cutlass when he saw the enemy ship.
- wield a cutlass
- The sailor knew how to wield a cutlass effectively.
- pirate's cutlass
- The pirate's cutlass gleamed in the sunlight.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: cutlass or cutlass?
cutlass vs cutlass
Not to be confused with 'cutlass' as a car model? Actually, the Oldsmobile Cutlass is a car, but the word is the same. Learners might confuse with 'cutlass' and 'cutlass'? No, it's the same. Maybe with 'cutlass' and 'cutlet'? But that's different.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'cutlass' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A cutlass is a sword, so it is swung or wielded, not used for chopping vegetables, fired like a gun, or planted like a plant. Option 2 correctly describes a pirate using a cutlass in battle.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cutlass”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.