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 media post was accompanied by emojis of a knife, an ax and red drops after the statement. —Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026

The final shot of the trailer appears to be the Tin Man wielding an ax, though the blade of his weapon is out of frame. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Jan. 2026

By all accounts, David Brom has made the transition from prison to work release without a hitch, setting the stage that the Rochester ax killer could be granted parole as early as January. —Matthew Stolle, Twin Cities, 29 Dec. 2025

Police later determined that Betty had been slashed 41 times by an ax and suspected Candy after learning about her past affair with Allan. —Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 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