hacksaw

noun

hack·​saw ˈhak-ˌsȯ 

: a fine-tooth saw with a blade under tension in a frame that is used for cutting hard materials (such as metal)

hacksaw verb

Illustration of hacksaw

Examples of hacksaw in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Signals from the White House suggest the latter, as does the fact of the U.S. trade surplus with Brazil, which should in principle have spared Brazil from Trump’s tariff hacksaw. —Hussein Kalout, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2025

Sauls confirms the hacksaw kill — where Art sawed someone in half from her nether regions — will appear, along with new kills that resulted from working with director Damien Leone. —EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Musk has been at the center of Trump’s hacksaw to the federal government this week. —Brett Samuels, The Hill, 5 Feb. 2025

Almost all of them are unmanned, and cutting a cord can be as simple as severing it from the station with a hacksaw. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1638, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hacksaw

• aa
• aha
• bashaw
• bradshaw
• byelaw
• bylaw
• chainsaw
• cheraw
• coleslaw
• crenshaw
• dada
• esau

Kids Definition

hacksaw

noun

hack·​saw ˈhak-ˌsȯ 

: a saw used for cutting hard materials (as metal) that consists of a frame holding a blade with small teeth

hacksaw verb