ax

1 of 2

noun

variant spelling of axe entry 1, axe entry 2

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

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

No party was brave enough to offend its supporters by taking an axe to [=severely reducing] expenditure.

—The Economist

4

slang : any of several musical instruments (such as a guitar or a saxophone)

ax

2 of 2

abbreviation

1

axiom

2

axis

Examples of ax in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Social would incorporate outdoor attractions, including sand volleyball and snow tubing, and indoor activities including pickleball, golf simulators, bowling, ax throwing and rock climbing. —Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2025

How Does Thing Defeat Isaac? Wednesday grabs the axe and runs toward Isaac to recover Thing, but the lab suddenly explodes. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025

Some of the countryside was the same — without a Jaguar but with a big ax instead. —Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025

Both companies implemented fees in April that impacted imports coming from China and Hong Kong less than a month before the de minimis provision had already gotten the axe for Chinese goods entering the U.S. as of May 2. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 26 Aug. 2025

Rhymes for ax

• axe
• backs
• blacks
• cracks
• fax
• flax
• hacks
• jacks
• knacks
• lacks
• lakhs
• lax

Kids Definition

ax

noun

variants or axe

ˈaks

: a cutting tool that consists of a heavy edged head attached to a handle and that is used for chopping and splitting wood

Medical Definition

ax

abbreviation

axis

Biographical Definition

Ax

biographical name

ˈaks 

Emanuel 1949–     American (Ukrainian-born of Polish parents) pianist