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.
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
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
The King’s guards arrive just as the last chest is delivered and the Troll uses his axe to hack down the rope bridge.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
That glimmer of hope is immediately extinguished, however, when Lottie (Courtney Eaton) buries an axe into Edwin’s skull.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 21 Mar. 2025
Lest there be any confusion, this individual killed another human being, with an axe, and then ate part of that human being’s brain and eyeball.
—Matthew J. Funchion, Hartford Courant, 6 Mar. 2025
As Trump passes the 60-day mark of his second term, he’s taken an axe to many long-standing federal agencies, cutting hundreds of thousands of jobs and upending programs both domestically and internationally for cost-saving benefits.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 27 Mar. 2025
The Trump Administration could trim twigs from its org chart, or take an axe and lop off entire limbs, erasing whole offices.
—David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
All the clichés about headaches are true—a pile of bricks on the head, a vise grip on the temples, an axe through the skull.
—Rebecca Nagle, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025
That includes a big expansion of premium formats, to bars, eateries and activities from axe throwing to bowling that have been boosting regional chains.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2025
William Turton, ProPublica, 25 Apr. 2025
The Big Story Supreme Court considers reviving fuel producers’ suit
The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments in a case that could revive a bid by fuel producers to axe California’s clean car standards.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
However, less than 48 hours after the end of the regular tax filing season, AP News reported that the program will be axed.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
The federal government announced plans to axe 216,215 jobs, accounting for nearly 80% of the 275,240 layoffs announcements made by US employers in March, according to Challenger Gray & Christmas’ latest report.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2025
Lopez’s committee on Thursday also rolled out a budget proposal for agencies, including the Department of Management Services, that targeted Allende’s salary and axed the positions of a handful of his top aides.
—Dara Kam, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2025
By February 2024, the airline had axed its entire schedule to Tulum.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
All three solutions are built to help reduce errors and customs clearance delays, which could become even more of a concern if the duty-free de minimis trade exemption for low-value shipments into the U.S. were to get axed.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 26 Mar. 2025
House conservatives are putting pressure on Senate Republicans to promise deeper spending cuts — at least $1.5 trillion over the next decade — ahead of the negotiations, but GOP senators themselves are deeply divided on what to axe.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 11 Apr. 2025
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.
Noun
Styr memorably beat the heck out of Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in a hand-to-hand battle before Snow fatally placed his axe in Styr's head.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
The King’s guards arrive just as the last chest is delivered and the Troll uses his axe to hack down the rope bridge.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
That glimmer of hope is immediately extinguished, however, when Lottie (Courtney Eaton) buries an axe into Edwin’s skull.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 21 Mar. 2025
Lest there be any confusion, this individual killed another human being, with an axe, and then ate part of that human being’s brain and eyeball.
—Matthew J. Funchion, Hartford Courant, 6 Mar. 2025
As Trump passes the 60-day mark of his second term, he’s taken an axe to many long-standing federal agencies, cutting hundreds of thousands of jobs and upending programs both domestically and internationally for cost-saving benefits.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 27 Mar. 2025
The Trump Administration could trim twigs from its org chart, or take an axe and lop off entire limbs, erasing whole offices.
—David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
All the clichés about headaches are true—a pile of bricks on the head, a vise grip on the temples, an axe through the skull.
—Rebecca Nagle, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025
That includes a big expansion of premium formats, to bars, eateries and activities from axe throwing to bowling that have been boosting regional chains.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
When Trump fired 17 inspectors general across a range of federal agencies in January, those working for the Treasury Department were not among the ones axed.
—William Turton, ProPublica, 25 Apr. 2025
The Big Story Supreme Court considers reviving fuel producers’ suit
The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments in a case that could revive a bid by fuel producers to axe California’s clean car standards.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
However, less than 48 hours after the end of the regular tax filing season, AP News reported that the program will be axed.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
The federal government announced plans to axe 216,215 jobs, accounting for nearly 80% of the 275,240 layoffs announcements made by US employers in March, according to Challenger Gray & Christmas’ latest report.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2025
Lopez’s committee on Thursday also rolled out a budget proposal for agencies, including the Department of Management Services, that targeted Allende’s salary and axed the positions of a handful of his top aides.
—Dara Kam, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2025
By February 2024, the airline had axed its entire schedule to Tulum.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
All three solutions are built to help reduce errors and customs clearance delays, which could become even more of a concern if the duty-free de minimis trade exemption for low-value shipments into the U.S. were to get axed.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 26 Mar. 2025
House conservatives are putting pressure on Senate Republicans to promise deeper spending cuts — at least $1.5 trillion over the next decade — ahead of the negotiations, but GOP senators themselves are deeply divided on what to axe.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Axe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axe. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share