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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 Petreccab : 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
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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
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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.
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But lawmakers have strongly condemned the NIH and CDC cuts at recent budget hearings, raising hopes that both agencies will escape the ax.
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Your local assessor will provide a fat bald guy with one golden earring to wield the ax.
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The story begins along the most familiar axes of all fiction: a stranger comes to town.
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Guns have been all but excised in this spinoff in favor of close-up choppers and loppers, like swords and axes.
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But listing 253 centimeters off its perpendicular ax, the precarious minaret has long been a concern.
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Guards used axes, mallets and sledgehammers on their victims.
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Swimming programs also faced the budget ax last year, but were preserved in the face of public outcry and protests.
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
ax
axe
Definition of ax
axed
;axing
transitive verb
1a : to shape, dress (see 1dress 6e), or trim with an ax ax stoneb : 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.
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
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Gov. John Kasich, a strong proponent of Medicaid expansion, could ax the freeze with a veto.
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Starting a few years ago, major wireless companies — namely T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint — axed two-year contracts.
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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.
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White-Collar Workers Will Be AxedSome early reports had suggested Ford might cut as much as 10 percent of its salaried employees.
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StubHub, the online events and entertainment tickets marketplace, is shutting down its East Granby call center, axing 250 jobs, the town's first selectman said Tuesday.
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By axing the director of an agency investigating whether there was collusion between members of his campaign and Russians, Trump risked being seen as obstructing a criminal investigation.
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Maduro was axed on the same day as Infantino convinced FIFA’s council to remove the heads of the investigatory and adjudicatory chambers of its ethics committee, Cornel Borbely and Hans-Joachim Eckert.
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Rod Rosenstein, the deputy—and the man who wrote the rationale for axing Comey—faced similar Democratic delays and was not sworn in until April 26.
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
see 1ax
ax
Definition of ax
1 axiom
2 axis
Other Logic Terms
Ax
playDefinition of Ax
Emanuel 1949– American (Ukrainian-born of Polish parents) pianist
AX Defined for English Language Learners
ax
playDefinition of ax for English Language Learners
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: a tool that has a heavy metal blade and a long handle and that is used for chopping wood
ax
Definition of ax for English Language Learners
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: to cut or remove (something)
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: to fire (someone)
AX Defined for Kids
ax
playaxe
\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
Medical Definition of ax
axis
Learn More about ax
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See words that rhyme with ax Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ax Spanish Central: Translation of ax Nglish: Translation of ax for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ax for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ax
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