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.
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
Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Walt Disney Imagineering updated the storyline of Black Widow Bride Constance Hatchway earlier this year by turning her from an axe murderer who beheads her wealthy husbands into a more mournful figure overwhelmed by the dread of lost love.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
Julian Farm and Orchard hosts a Harvest Fest in September and October, with apple and pumpkin picking, hayrides, axe-throwing, and a cider pressing demonstration, among other family-friendly activities.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 11 Oct. 2025
First pocket knife, then kitchen knife, and hatchet, axe, hoe, shovel—and then, one fine day, chainsaw.
—Michael Roberts, Outside, 9 Oct. 2025
The previous year, two Buffalo Bills executives got the axe shortly after returning from England because they were engaged in a professionally unethical romantic relationship in conspicuous fashion.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Alas, The Get Down — his pricey, highly ambitious series about the rise of hip-hop in New York’s South Bronx neighborhood — got the axe after just one gloriously glitzy season.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 3 Oct. 2025
Beyond Gein, the pair are already preparing a fourth season, which will feature Ella Beatty as purported axe murderer Lizzie Borden.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
Someone under 21 could also go into a number of other establishments with alcohol licenses, such as a restaurant, axe-throwing facility, golf course or club house, movie theater, painting studio, ski chalet or stadium.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 13 Oct. 2025
Countdown was axed on Friday by Prime Video after one season, along with the Danel Dae Kim series Butterfly.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2025
Sweden’s largest forest industry group, Södra, has axed 200 positions as the pulp producer restructures operations.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 9 Oct. 2025
Still, services axed this year may leave behind a vacuum.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Oct. 2025
At its last meeting, the FOMC capitulated and axed interest by 25 basis points, creating cheaper borrowing for consumers, businesses, and the government itself.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Between January and May roughly 22,100 people in Virginia lost their jobs after the Department of Government Efficiency axed larger swaths of the federal bureaucracy, according to Federal Reserve data.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Chili's is axing some popular items from its kids' and dessert menus – while also rolling out a new offering aimed at keeping customers satisfied.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
And that's because the rot appears to be spreading up the age range to the point that British first-time parents are now more likely to support axing the crown than ever before.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
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Noun
With a handful of teams struggling more than anticipated, many are likely wondering who will get the axe next.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Walt Disney Imagineering updated the storyline of Black Widow Bride Constance Hatchway earlier this year by turning her from an axe murderer who beheads her wealthy husbands into a more mournful figure overwhelmed by the dread of lost love.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
Julian Farm and Orchard hosts a Harvest Fest in September and October, with apple and pumpkin picking, hayrides, axe-throwing, and a cider pressing demonstration, among other family-friendly activities.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 11 Oct. 2025
First pocket knife, then kitchen knife, and hatchet, axe, hoe, shovel—and then, one fine day, chainsaw.
—Michael Roberts, Outside, 9 Oct. 2025
The previous year, two Buffalo Bills executives got the axe shortly after returning from England because they were engaged in a professionally unethical romantic relationship in conspicuous fashion.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Alas, The Get Down — his pricey, highly ambitious series about the rise of hip-hop in New York’s South Bronx neighborhood — got the axe after just one gloriously glitzy season.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 3 Oct. 2025
Beyond Gein, the pair are already preparing a fourth season, which will feature Ella Beatty as purported axe murderer Lizzie Borden.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
Someone under 21 could also go into a number of other establishments with alcohol licenses, such as a restaurant, axe-throwing facility, golf course or club house, movie theater, painting studio, ski chalet or stadium.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Verb
Staffers spent the weekend trading calls and texts, trying to piece together who had been axed, who had been spared, and, most puzzling, why.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 13 Oct. 2025
Countdown was axed on Friday by Prime Video after one season, along with the Danel Dae Kim series Butterfly.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2025
Sweden’s largest forest industry group, Södra, has axed 200 positions as the pulp producer restructures operations.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 9 Oct. 2025
Still, services axed this year may leave behind a vacuum.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Oct. 2025
At its last meeting, the FOMC capitulated and axed interest by 25 basis points, creating cheaper borrowing for consumers, businesses, and the government itself.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Between January and May roughly 22,100 people in Virginia lost their jobs after the Department of Government Efficiency axed larger swaths of the federal bureaucracy, according to Federal Reserve data.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Chili's is axing some popular items from its kids' and dessert menus – while also rolling out a new offering aimed at keeping customers satisfied.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
And that's because the rot appears to be spreading up the age range to the point that British first-time parents are now more likely to support axing the crown than ever before.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Axe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axe. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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