ax

play

noun \ ˈaks \

variants: or axe

Definition of ax

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 ¹dress 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 ax.

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 to grind

:an ulterior often selfish underlying purpose

claims that he has no ax to grind in criticizing the proposed law

See ax defined for English-language learners

See ax defined for kids

Examples of ax in a Sentence

the company was hemorrhaging money, so 700 employees would soon be given the ax

Recent Examples of ax from the Web

Adjustacam owned a patent on a camera that the court construed as rotating on a single axis, while the cameras sold by Newegg use a ball-and-socket joint that rotate on multiple axes.

— joe mullin, Ars Technica, "Newegg fought its way through two appeals to win fees from this patent-holder," 6 July 2017
But lawmakers have strongly condemned the NIH and CDC cuts at recent budget hearings, raising hopes that both agencies will escape the ax.

— david malakoff, Science | AAAS, "House lawmakers balk at most Trump science cuts in early bills," 30 June 2017
Your local assessor will provide a fat bald guy with one golden earring to wield the ax.

— john kass, chicagotribune.com, "Madigan and Rauner in 'Naked Prey' and modest proposals to save Illinois," 29 June 2017
The story begins along the most familiar axes of all fiction: a stranger comes to town.

— steve donoghue, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Golden Hill' is a terrific debut historical novel, set in 1746 Manhattan," 28 June 2017
Guns have been all but excised in this spinoff in favor of close-up choppers and loppers, like swords and axes.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "Valkyria Revolution trades in cult-classic status for wasted promise," 27 June 2017
But listing 253 centimeters off its perpendicular ax, the precarious minaret has long been a concern.

— loveday morris, Washington Post, "ISIS blows up historic mosque in Mosul, Iraqi military says," 21 June 2017
Guards used axes, mallets and sledgehammers on their victims.

— jonathan m. pitts, baltimoresun.com, "Family resurrects rare account of little-known WWII Croatian concentration camp," 16 June 2017
Swimming programs also faced the budget ax last year, but were preserved in the face of public outcry and protests.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "$446 million Harford County Public Schools budget approved for fiscal 2018," 13 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ax.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ax

Middle English, from Old English æcs; akin to Old High German ackus ax, Latin ascia, Greek axinē

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

ax Synonyms

Synonyms

layoff (or axe), discharge, dismissal, furlough, redundancy [chiefly British]

Related Words

pink slip; bird [chiefly British], boot, bum's rush, downsizing, firing, heave-ho, sack; closing, shutdown; shakeout, shake-up

Near Antonyms

callback, recall, reemployment, rehire, rehiring

Other Hardware Terms

adze, auger, awl, chock, ferrule, punch, tang

ax

verb

variants: or axe

Definition of ax

axed; axing

transitive verb

1 a :to shape, dress (see ¹dress 6e), or trim with an ax

ax stone

b :to chop, split, or sever with an ax

ax 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.

See ax defined for English-language learners

Examples of ax in a Sentence

The boss told him that he had been axed.
the boss will ax anyone who leaks company secrets

Recent Examples of ax from the Web

The news was quickly confirmed by the Times, which reported that Trump, known for his dislike of confrontation and firing people in private, had hesitated on axing Bannon but was not committed to him leaving.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Steve Bannon Is Leaving the White House," 18 Aug. 2017
Swapping TV wives is already bizarre - and so is axing the wife and mom character on a family sitcom.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Tragedy meets comedy as 'Kevin Can Wait' plans macabre twist," 2 Aug. 2017
Smallridge said Modernizing Medicine applied for state incentives before the legislature in 2015 axed the Quick Action Closing program, used by the governor to close competitive deals.

— marcia heroux pounds, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Modernizing Medicine announces more than 800 new jobs in Boca Raton," 27 July 2017
Congress has trimmed or axed several transit programs already, and President Trump's next budget proposal would cut more.

— don stacom, courant.com, "State Will Spend More On Highways; Big Projects To Begin In Waterbury, Middletown, Along Shoreline," 29 June 2017
Gov. John Kasich, a strong proponent of Medicaid expansion, could ax the freeze with a veto.

— jessie balmert, Cincinnati.com, "Freeze Kasich's Medicaid expansion in '18, GOP lawmakers say," 20 June 2017
But some professors say Mills is planning to ax programs central to the school’s long-standing liberal arts tradition.

— emily deruy, The Mercury News, "Mills College to lay off at least 8 professors, cut philosophy program," 9 June 2017
Starting a few years ago, major wireless companies — namely T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint — axed two-year contracts.

— madeline farber, Fortune, "This Chart Is Bad News for Apple," 5 June 2017
The 45-year-old shooter, whose identity was not immediately released, was axed from Fiamma Inc. in April and had previously been accused of battering another employee at work, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said.

— melissa chan, Time, "The Afternoon Brief: London Attackers Identified, Orlando Shooter Kills 5, Bill Cosby’s Trial Begins," 5 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of ax

see ¹ax

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1674

See Words from the same year

ax Synonyms

Synonyms

dismiss (or axe), bounce, can, cashier, discharge, fire, muster out, pink-slip, release, remove, retire, sack, terminate, turn off

Antonyms

employ, engage, hire, retain, sign (up or on), take on

Related Words

downsize, excess, furlough, lay off, trim; boot (out), chuck (out), drum (out), kick out, throw out, unseat; separate

Near Antonyms

keep; reemploy, rehire; contract, subcontract; recruit

ax

abbreviation

Definition of ax

1 axiom

2 axis

Other Logic Terms

a posteriori, connotation, corollary, inference, mutually exclusive, paradox, postulate, syllogism

Ax

play

biographical name \ ˈaks \

Definition of Ax

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

AX Defined for English Language Learners

ax

play

noun

Definition of ax for English Language Learners

: a tool that has a heavy metal blade and a long handle and that is used for chopping wood

ax

verb

Definition of ax for English Language Learners

: to cut or remove (something)
: to fire (someone)

AX Defined for Kids

ax

noun

variants: or axe \ˈaks\

Definition of ax for Students

:a tool that has a heavy head with a sharp edge fixed to a handle and is used for chopping and splitting wood

Medical Dictionary

ax

abbreviation

medical Definition of ax

axis

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ax

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ax

Definition of ax

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Ax

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ax

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