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)
see also axe to grind
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.
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 Web
Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 17 Dec. 2025
The other driver allegedly threw an axe at the other driver, drove off, slamming into the pickup truck.
—Shardaa Gray, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
Since January, administration officials have taken an axe to that traditional mission by encouraging early retirements, shuttering collective bargaining agreements and drastically cutting back on programs that facilitate legal migration.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 10 Dec. 2025
But Timothy has an axe to grind.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
As if shutting the government down in the name of health insurance subsidies wasn’t enough, a federal judge took an axe to another meaningful way to reform American health policy – auditing bad actors in Medicare Advantage.
—Juliette Madrigal, Boston Herald, 7 Dec. 2025
Instead, Shimizu must do her best with wooden boards, pipes, a knife, and later an axe.
—Richard Newby, Time, 6 Dec. 2025
First, when Will’s mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), confronts a Demogorgon with an axe, Will sees through its eyes — and the creature appears to back off.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 27 Nov. 2025
That is, of course, in addition to virtual golf games, axe throwing, darts and more.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 25 Nov. 2025
Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025
The Keller district cited costs as the reason for axing the proposal.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Dec. 2025
Companies with between one and 19 employees axed 46,000 roles, while those with 20 to 49 employees cut 74,000.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025
Recent news reports have included similar indications, saying the council is not expected to recommend axing the disaster response agency but could call for ending funding for states 10 years after a particular disaster and making FEMA its own Cabinet-level agency.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2025
However, Nike also axed the positions of two EVPs on the SLT team; chief commercial officer Craig Williams and chief technology officer Muge Dogan are exiting the company, with Nike eliminating the CCO role entirely.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 5 Dec. 2025
As a result, there was no cold open, while appearances by Candice Bergen, Jimmy Fallon and Jon Hamm were canceled and live musical performances by Charli xcx got axed.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
But the squirrel scene was nearly axed from the film.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 Nov. 2025
There was hope that a sequel would come about, but both Johnson and Blunt have all but confirmed the sequel has been axed.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The car’s airbags deployed, and the driver of that vehicle got out of his car, and while the other driver was still standing in the street, wielding his axe, the driver of the white car got into the pickup truck.
—Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 17 Dec. 2025
The other driver allegedly threw an axe at the other driver, drove off, slamming into the pickup truck.
—Shardaa Gray, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
Since January, administration officials have taken an axe to that traditional mission by encouraging early retirements, shuttering collective bargaining agreements and drastically cutting back on programs that facilitate legal migration.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 10 Dec. 2025
But Timothy has an axe to grind.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
As if shutting the government down in the name of health insurance subsidies wasn’t enough, a federal judge took an axe to another meaningful way to reform American health policy – auditing bad actors in Medicare Advantage.
—Juliette Madrigal, Boston Herald, 7 Dec. 2025
Instead, Shimizu must do her best with wooden boards, pipes, a knife, and later an axe.
—Richard Newby, Time, 6 Dec. 2025
First, when Will’s mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), confronts a Demogorgon with an axe, Will sees through its eyes — and the creature appears to back off.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 27 Nov. 2025
That is, of course, in addition to virtual golf games, axe throwing, darts and more.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 25 Nov. 2025
Verb
Others, like former Late Night host David Letterman, also floated the idea that the series may have been axed in order to minimize complications with the Federal Communications Commission over Paramount’s merger with Skydance media group.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025
The Keller district cited costs as the reason for axing the proposal.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Dec. 2025
Companies with between one and 19 employees axed 46,000 roles, while those with 20 to 49 employees cut 74,000.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025
Recent news reports have included similar indications, saying the council is not expected to recommend axing the disaster response agency but could call for ending funding for states 10 years after a particular disaster and making FEMA its own Cabinet-level agency.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2025
However, Nike also axed the positions of two EVPs on the SLT team; chief commercial officer Craig Williams and chief technology officer Muge Dogan are exiting the company, with Nike eliminating the CCO role entirely.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 5 Dec. 2025
As a result, there was no cold open, while appearances by Candice Bergen, Jimmy Fallon and Jon Hamm were canceled and live musical performances by Charli xcx got axed.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
But the squirrel scene was nearly axed from the film.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 Nov. 2025
There was hope that a sequel would come about, but both Johnson and Blunt have all but confirmed the sequel has been axed.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Axe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axe. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
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