chainsaw

noun

chain·​saw ˈchān-ˌsȯ How to pronounce chainsaw (audio)
variants or less commonly chain saw
plural chainsaws also chain saws
: a portable power tool used for cutting that has sharp teeth linked together to form a continuous chain
chainsaw transitive verb
chainsawed; chainsawed or less commonly chainsawn ˈchān-ˌsȯn How to pronounce chainsaw (audio) ; chainsawing; chainsaws

Examples of chainsaw in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Two Colombian drug dealers had just dismembered a man with a chainsaw and a second man was to meet the same fate. Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026 The next level then shifts to Leon, who picks up a chainsaw to cut his way through an onslaught of infected. Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026 Imagine a chainsaw at full gas or a jumbo jet taking off. Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026 Do not let your chainsaw hit the ground! Steven John, Architectural Digest, 13 Feb. 2026 There are monks and chainsaws and coffins and pops of yellow, and each costume makes Cumming howl in laughter. Jonathan Borge, InStyle, 29 Jan. 2026 Have the rest of you moved on to juggling chainsaws? Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026 Digging means using a mattock or pickaxe to break apart the soil, a shovel to remove the soil, an axe or chainsaw to cut roots, and plenty of pushing and pulling to remove the stump. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Jan. 2026 The chainsaws went quiet all at once. Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chainsaw was in 1946

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chainsaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chainsaw. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

chain saw

noun
: a portable power saw that has teeth linked together to form a continuous chain

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