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)
see also:
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
Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Seaport took an axe to the homebuilders, double downgrading the stocks of Lennar , Pulte , Taylor Morrison , and KB Home to sell from buy.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026
Campers can while away their hours with axe throwing, Quidditch matches, foam sword fights, live-action role-play, escape room challenges and more.
—Robin Roenker, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Mavericks assistant coach Popeye Jones, a two-time teammate of Finley in 1996 and the 2002-03 season, was also in attendance, trying his best in the axe throwing competition.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
There’s an incredible sequence where Zazie Beetz’s character fights cultists with a flaming axe.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
Firefighters made a hole with an axe just above the entrance to let the thick black smoke flow out and to avoid breaking the eight stained glass windows along the sides of the structure.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
The event was held at South County Regional Park in Boca Raton and featured a 1-mile walk followed by a carnival with axe throwing, rock climbing, a petting zoo, pony rides, face painting and more.
—Jessica Tzikas, Sun Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2026
It was quickly captured and met the business end of a sharp axe.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2026
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026
Lopes held that post from 2000-02, going 144-195 in those three seasons before being axed.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Some were axed immediately; others were rewritten and re-recorded, keeping Oli’s voice pure, stripped of the vocal doubling that had been his signature on previous records.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 Apr. 2026
In 1939, Congress axed the Federal Theatre Project and transferred control of the remaining projects to the states.
—John P. Murphy, ARTnews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
But this project was bedeviled with budget trouble, and axed before anyone got to see it.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
Block is not the only company that wants to axe middle management.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
OpenAI also axed its controversial plans to release an erotic companion.
—Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 31 Mar. 2026
Amazon axed 16,000 jobs in January.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
One of the vandals was seen wielding a hammer, and another wielded an axe.
—Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Seaport took an axe to the homebuilders, double downgrading the stocks of Lennar , Pulte , Taylor Morrison , and KB Home to sell from buy.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026
Campers can while away their hours with axe throwing, Quidditch matches, foam sword fights, live-action role-play, escape room challenges and more.
—Robin Roenker, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Mavericks assistant coach Popeye Jones, a two-time teammate of Finley in 1996 and the 2002-03 season, was also in attendance, trying his best in the axe throwing competition.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
There’s an incredible sequence where Zazie Beetz’s character fights cultists with a flaming axe.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
Firefighters made a hole with an axe just above the entrance to let the thick black smoke flow out and to avoid breaking the eight stained glass windows along the sides of the structure.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
The event was held at South County Regional Park in Boca Raton and featured a 1-mile walk followed by a carnival with axe throwing, rock climbing, a petting zoo, pony rides, face painting and more.
—Jessica Tzikas, Sun Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2026
It was quickly captured and met the business end of a sharp axe.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
An episode of Channel 4’s Celebrity Great British Bake Off featuring ex-BBC radio presenter Scott Mills has been axed.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026
Lopes held that post from 2000-02, going 144-195 in those three seasons before being axed.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Some were axed immediately; others were rewritten and re-recorded, keeping Oli’s voice pure, stripped of the vocal doubling that had been his signature on previous records.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 Apr. 2026
In 1939, Congress axed the Federal Theatre Project and transferred control of the remaining projects to the states.
—John P. Murphy, ARTnews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
But this project was bedeviled with budget trouble, and axed before anyone got to see it.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
Block is not the only company that wants to axe middle management.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
OpenAI also axed its controversial plans to release an erotic companion.
—Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 31 Mar. 2026
Amazon axed 16,000 jobs in January.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Axe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axe. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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