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 Web
Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2024
How much does Satya Nadella earn While Nadella personally requested a 50% axe to one aspect of his total compensation, his overall package increased by more than $30 million compared to a year ago.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2024
Oliver then grabs an axe and swings it, smashing the TV.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
Casey had a long history of criminal record as he was arrested for beating his brother with an axe sledgehammer in 2012.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 26 Sep. 2024
Oliver raises the axe high in the air, shattering a chandelier.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
The killer or killers lifted the axe so high for the initial blow that a piece of the ceiling was impacted, according to the magazine.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 13 Oct. 2024
And in May, a 14-year-old girl from Montenegro was arrested for plotting an attack in Austria, which was allegedly ISIS-inspired, with a knife and axe already purchased.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 25 July 2024
The Bates Motel Attractions: 25-minute haunted hayride; escape rooms; axe throwing; and the Revenge of the Scarecrows Haunted Corn Trail that features animatronic monsters.
—Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 4 Oct. 2024
Arizona Republic, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024
Perhaps cricket can stomach that axing, but potentially not being part of the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, will sting.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Musk’s role in reshaping Twitter into X — turning it from the world’s foremost social media platform for real-time news into a hotbed of conspiracy theories and misinformation, in part by axing its trust and safety teams and watering down its content policies, has been well-documented.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2024
Last year, YouTube axed Premium Lite, its cheaper version of YouTube Premium, but the company has been testing a new version of the subscription in Australia, Germany, and Thailand, YouTube confirmed to Android Authority.
—Jay Peters, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2024
It has been hit by a couple of cancelations in recent weeks, however, with Netflix axing Buying London and Peacock resting polyamorous dating format Couple to Throuple.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2024
Despite axing the logos, Benbow said the city still needs a place where people of all views can get together.
—Luke Gentile, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Sep. 2024
The airline typically took the same amount of time to tell passengers their flights had been axed, the court document showed.
—Angus Whitley / Bloomberg, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
That show was well-rated and a petition was launched to save it when it was axed.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2024
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Noun
At six feet six, with woodcutter’s biceps, Stanton can chop baseballs with such force that the sound resonates like an axe to a melon.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2024
How much does Satya Nadella earn While Nadella personally requested a 50% axe to one aspect of his total compensation, his overall package increased by more than $30 million compared to a year ago.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2024
Oliver then grabs an axe and swings it, smashing the TV.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
Casey had a long history of criminal record as he was arrested for beating his brother with an axe sledgehammer in 2012.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 26 Sep. 2024
Oliver raises the axe high in the air, shattering a chandelier.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
The killer or killers lifted the axe so high for the initial blow that a piece of the ceiling was impacted, according to the magazine.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 13 Oct. 2024
And in May, a 14-year-old girl from Montenegro was arrested for plotting an attack in Austria, which was allegedly ISIS-inspired, with a knife and axe already purchased.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 25 July 2024
The Bates Motel Attractions: 25-minute haunted hayride; escape rooms; axe throwing; and the Revenge of the Scarecrows Haunted Corn Trail that features animatronic monsters.
—Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
Here's what fans can expect to see, from a second entrance to axing third-party ticket vendors.
—Arizona Republic, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024
Perhaps cricket can stomach that axing, but potentially not being part of the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, will sting.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Musk’s role in reshaping Twitter into X — turning it from the world’s foremost social media platform for real-time news into a hotbed of conspiracy theories and misinformation, in part by axing its trust and safety teams and watering down its content policies, has been well-documented.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2024
Last year, YouTube axed Premium Lite, its cheaper version of YouTube Premium, but the company has been testing a new version of the subscription in Australia, Germany, and Thailand, YouTube confirmed to Android Authority.
—Jay Peters, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2024
It has been hit by a couple of cancelations in recent weeks, however, with Netflix axing Buying London and Peacock resting polyamorous dating format Couple to Throuple.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2024
Despite axing the logos, Benbow said the city still needs a place where people of all views can get together.
—Luke Gentile, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Sep. 2024
The airline typically took the same amount of time to tell passengers their flights had been axed, the court document showed.
—Angus Whitley / Bloomberg, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
That show was well-rated and a petition was launched to save it when it was axed.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near axe
Cite this Entry
“Axe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axe. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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