variants
or ax
plural axes
1
: a cutting tool that consists of a heavy edged head fixed to a handle with the edge parallel to the handle and that is used especially for felling trees and chopping and splitting wood
2
: a hammer with a sharp edge for dressing (see dress entry 1 sense 6e) or spalling stone
3
informal
a
: removal from office or release from employment : dismissal
—usually used with the
Employees with poor evaluations got the axe.
Trump quickly gave him the ax [=fired him] for his incompetence.—
Laura Petrecca
Laura Petrecca
b
: abrupt elimination or severe reduction of something
Unlimited expense accounts, signing bonuses, and office plants—all are getting the ax [=being cut or eliminated] thanks to corporate cost-cutting measures.—Amanda Hinnant
Amanda HinnantNo party was brave enough to offend its supporters by taking an axe to [=severely reducing] expenditure.—The Economist
The Economist4
slang
: any of several musical instruments (such as a guitar or a saxophone)
variants
or ax
axed; axing; axes
1
a
: to shape, dress (see dress entry 1 sense 6e), or trim with an axe
axe stone
b
: to chop, split, or sever with an axe
axe branches from a tree
2
informal
: to remove abruptly (as from employment or from a budget)
The TV program was axed from the new schedule.
Synonyms
Examples of axe in a Sentence
Noun
the company was hemorrhaging money, so 700 employees would soon be given the ax
Verb
The boss told him that he had been axed.
the boss will ax anyone who leaks company secrets
Recent Examples on the WebWilson Chapman, IndieWire, 16 July 2024
Golf, pony rides, a nature trail, axe throwing, laser clay shooting, archery, and a rock-climbing wall join winter fun like ice-skating and curling and summer diversions such as trapeze and fishing.
—Allison Tibaldi, USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2024
Take advantage of being in the Allegheny Mountains and sign up for other outdoor activities, including axe throwing, fly fishing and scavenger hunts.
—Catherine Garcia, theweek, 6 Aug. 2024
Scenes also emerged of people clambering atop an imposing statue of Hasina’s father, independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhaka, and carving away at the head with an axe, according to Reuters.
—Isaac Yee, CNN, 5 Aug. 2024
Gavitt broke out a basement window at the rear of the home with an axe and entered the house, sending the stepson and his stepmother — Gavitt’s ex-girlfriend — rushing to an upstairs bedroom.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 17 July 2024
In 2022, which was an awful year for investors, very few asked about giving the axe to their financial pro.
—Jill Schlesinger, The Mercury News, 29 July 2024
Balance is easily achieved: think a morning of archery and axe throwing before an afternoon Southern honey tasting and orchard tour.
—Kathryn Romeyn, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
This means using a scalpel rather than an axe to force Israel to own the consequences of its behavior in the West Bank without eroding its overall security posture in the face of legitimate and ongoing threats from Iran and its proxies.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2024
Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2024
The film axes Devin, Lily’s gay BFF who makes Ryle jealous by pretending to be her boyfriend.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2024
American Airlines had the most cancellations, axing more than 370 flights, or 10 percent of its total schedule.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 5 Aug. 2024
Wolverine, which also starred Jackman and Reynolds.) The standalone Gambit movie Tatum was working on was axed when Disney bought Fox in 2019, according to Variety.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 26 July 2024
He was axed after his partner, Sherlock‘s Amanda Abbington, left the series early and accused him of inappropriate, bullying behavior.
—Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 July 2024
The seas are changing as Nat Geo has axed one of its longest-running series.
—Peter White, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2024
One of the team’s leaders, Jan Leike, joined Anthropic shortly after his group was axed.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2024
White Cube has axed 38 monitors and replaced them with security guards.
—George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 31 July 2024
Noun
The film’s satire takes an axe to corporate misogyny while creating characters that remain lovable because the goofball energy never once falters.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 16 July 2024
Golf, pony rides, a nature trail, axe throwing, laser clay shooting, archery, and a rock-climbing wall join winter fun like ice-skating and curling and summer diversions such as trapeze and fishing.
—Allison Tibaldi, USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2024
Take advantage of being in the Allegheny Mountains and sign up for other outdoor activities, including axe throwing, fly fishing and scavenger hunts.
—Catherine Garcia, theweek, 6 Aug. 2024
Scenes also emerged of people clambering atop an imposing statue of Hasina’s father, independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhaka, and carving away at the head with an axe, according to Reuters.
—Isaac Yee, CNN, 5 Aug. 2024
Gavitt broke out a basement window at the rear of the home with an axe and entered the house, sending the stepson and his stepmother — Gavitt’s ex-girlfriend — rushing to an upstairs bedroom.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 17 July 2024
In 2022, which was an awful year for investors, very few asked about giving the axe to their financial pro.
—Jill Schlesinger, The Mercury News, 29 July 2024
Balance is easily achieved: think a morning of archery and axe throwing before an afternoon Southern honey tasting and orchard tour.
—Kathryn Romeyn, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
This means using a scalpel rather than an axe to force Israel to own the consequences of its behavior in the West Bank without eroding its overall security posture in the face of legitimate and ongoing threats from Iran and its proxies.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2024
Verb
Last year, Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber, Jalen Rose, Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson, and David Pollack were axed.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2024
The film axes Devin, Lily’s gay BFF who makes Ryle jealous by pretending to be her boyfriend.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2024
American Airlines had the most cancellations, axing more than 370 flights, or 10 percent of its total schedule.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 5 Aug. 2024
Wolverine, which also starred Jackman and Reynolds.) The standalone Gambit movie Tatum was working on was axed when Disney bought Fox in 2019, according to Variety.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 26 July 2024
He was axed after his partner, Sherlock‘s Amanda Abbington, left the series early and accused him of inappropriate, bullying behavior.
—Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 July 2024
The seas are changing as Nat Geo has axed one of its longest-running series.
—Peter White, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2024
One of the team’s leaders, Jan Leike, joined Anthropic shortly after his group was axed.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2024
White Cube has axed 38 monitors and replaced them with security guards.
—George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 31 July 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'axe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near axe
Cite this Entry
“Axe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axe. Accessed 7 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share