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)
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.
Synonyms
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 WebMatt Egan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
There's also the video of him tossing an axe at a bar.
—Journal Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2024
With King being not just a hot-shot guitarist but a preternaturally gifted vocalist, the album can overall best be described as: What if Al Green also played a mean axe and made a record about dealing with anxiety and depression?
—Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Feb. 2024
Months later, her longtime boyfriend attacked her with an axe.
—USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024
Now, that son deploys a similar axe to dispose of the corpse of his criminal father.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2024
The ship’s helm wheel, ceiling chandelier, interior furnishings, emergency fire axe box, engine room speed register, and more have also been purchased.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2024
The knight carries a huge axe and makes a strange proposal, in such a way that the honor of the whole court feels at stake.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
The mysterious killer primarily targeted Italian grocers and their families, breaking into their homes and attacking them with an axe, leaving victims wounded or dead.
—Maeghan Dolph, Fox News, 25 Feb. 2024
Taylor Telford, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Multiple businesses have plans to axe hundreds of jobs, as well as cut back hours and freeze hiring, the report shows.
—USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
But as evidence supporting the drug’s efficacy grew and the urgency mounted to curb opioid deaths, Congress axed the waiver requirement in late 2022, clearing the way for greater availability.
—Lauren Peace, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Above all else, however, it’s been Paytas’ willingness to say and do virtually anything for views that has led to her being canceled more times than streamers have axed minor superhero franchises.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2024
Apple’s reason for axing Epic’s account was that Epic had previously violated Apple’s policy by launching an alternative to Apple’s payment system for in-app payments (which is why Apple banned Fortnite from the App Store in 2020).
—David Meyer, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024
Following protests in December, the government reversed a decision on axing a tax discount for agricultural vehicles, and announced that a diesel subsidy would be phased out over three years rather than being cut immediately.
—Kate Brady, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2024
My colleague Victoria Song spent a good portion of last year writing about how Google was not only dropping the ball with Fitbit, but hanging users out to dry by axing beloved features, presiding over multi-day outages, and generally pushing people towards a Pixel Watch instead of a Fitbit band.
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 11 Jan. 2024
From Brentford to Luton Town, Huddersfield Town to Blackpool no Premier League debutant from the past decade, who must have felt the gap unbridgeable, has called for the parachute payments to be axed.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
Noun
The class of 2028 marks the first admissions cycle after the US Supreme Court took an axe to affirmative action in college, ruling the Harvard and University of North Carolina admissions programs were unconstitutional.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
There's also the video of him tossing an axe at a bar.
—Journal Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2024
With King being not just a hot-shot guitarist but a preternaturally gifted vocalist, the album can overall best be described as: What if Al Green also played a mean axe and made a record about dealing with anxiety and depression?
—Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Feb. 2024
Months later, her longtime boyfriend attacked her with an axe.
—USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024
Now, that son deploys a similar axe to dispose of the corpse of his criminal father.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2024
The ship’s helm wheel, ceiling chandelier, interior furnishings, emergency fire axe box, engine room speed register, and more have also been purchased.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2024
The knight carries a huge axe and makes a strange proposal, in such a way that the honor of the whole court feels at stake.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
The mysterious killer primarily targeted Italian grocers and their families, breaking into their homes and attacking them with an axe, leaving victims wounded or dead.
—Maeghan Dolph, Fox News, 25 Feb. 2024
Verb
Some companies have ditched chief diversity officers — a role commonly held by women of color — and others have axed internal teams dedicated to DEI and outsourced the work to consultants.
—Taylor Telford, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Multiple businesses have plans to axe hundreds of jobs, as well as cut back hours and freeze hiring, the report shows.
—USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
But as evidence supporting the drug’s efficacy grew and the urgency mounted to curb opioid deaths, Congress axed the waiver requirement in late 2022, clearing the way for greater availability.
—Lauren Peace, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Above all else, however, it’s been Paytas’ willingness to say and do virtually anything for views that has led to her being canceled more times than streamers have axed minor superhero franchises.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2024
Apple’s reason for axing Epic’s account was that Epic had previously violated Apple’s policy by launching an alternative to Apple’s payment system for in-app payments (which is why Apple banned Fortnite from the App Store in 2020).
—David Meyer, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024
Following protests in December, the government reversed a decision on axing a tax discount for agricultural vehicles, and announced that a diesel subsidy would be phased out over three years rather than being cut immediately.
—Kate Brady, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2024
My colleague Victoria Song spent a good portion of last year writing about how Google was not only dropping the ball with Fitbit, but hanging users out to dry by axing beloved features, presiding over multi-day outages, and generally pushing people towards a Pixel Watch instead of a Fitbit band.
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 11 Jan. 2024
From Brentford to Luton Town, Huddersfield Town to Blackpool no Premier League debutant from the past decade, who must have felt the gap unbridgeable, has called for the parachute payments to be axed.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'axe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near axe
Cite this Entry
“Axe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axe. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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