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)
see also:
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
Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 15 Apr. 2026
Andrew Jimenez, 45, pleaded not guilty to one count of murder, with an allegation of using an axe as a deadly weapon.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Think horseshoes, bocce ball, futsal, axe throwing … and yes, curling.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026
Wielding an axe, the 26-year-old Englewood resident damaged the hoods and windows of a dozen cars parked in the lot, causing more than $75,000 in damage, prosecutors said.
—Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Guests can also enjoy an axe-throwing area, a fire pit and a horseshoe pit.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2026
Embrace your inner Paul Bunyan at The Lumberjack for a local brew and a round of axe-throwing.
—Caroline Eubanks, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2026
Seaport took an axe to the homebuilders, double downgrading the stocks of Lennar , Pulte , Taylor Morrison , and KB Home to sell from buy.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026
Campers can while away their hours with axe throwing, Quidditch matches, foam sword fights, live-action role-play, escape room challenges and more.
—Robin Roenker, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2026
Stoneman, who ran the section responsible for overseeing implementation of the Lowndes County settlement, chose to depart the DOJ shortly after the agreement was axed.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026
With customer demand drying up for luxury EVs, and federal incentives getting axed by vengeful Republicans, Mercedes put its first-generation EVs on ice.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Apr. 2026
Don’t be surprised if this same great hire gets axed for showing any initiative at all in the job.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
When asked about the decision to axe the privacy feature, Meta told PCMag that very few people were opting in for the additional security.
—Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
An episode of Channel 4’s Celebrity Great British Bake Off featuring ex-BBC radio presenter Scott Mills has been axed.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026
Lopes held that post from 2000-02, going 144-195 in those three seasons before being axed.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Some were axed immediately; others were rewritten and re-recorded, keeping Oli’s voice pure, stripped of the vocal doubling that had been his signature on previous records.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 Apr. 2026
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
But instead of following the legal process, the city discharged the arrestees right into the waiting arms of a vigilante gang, who drove the Wobblies to the county line and viciously beat them with axe handles.
—Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 15 Apr. 2026
Andrew Jimenez, 45, pleaded not guilty to one count of murder, with an allegation of using an axe as a deadly weapon.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Think horseshoes, bocce ball, futsal, axe throwing … and yes, curling.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026
Wielding an axe, the 26-year-old Englewood resident damaged the hoods and windows of a dozen cars parked in the lot, causing more than $75,000 in damage, prosecutors said.
—Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Guests can also enjoy an axe-throwing area, a fire pit and a horseshoe pit.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2026
Embrace your inner Paul Bunyan at The Lumberjack for a local brew and a round of axe-throwing.
—Caroline Eubanks, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2026
Seaport took an axe to the homebuilders, double downgrading the stocks of Lennar , Pulte , Taylor Morrison , and KB Home to sell from buy.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026
Campers can while away their hours with axe throwing, Quidditch matches, foam sword fights, live-action role-play, escape room challenges and more.
—Robin Roenker, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
Other global airlines including United Airlines, Air India, Air New Zealand and Malaysia’s AirAsia have followed suit, all having taken steps to axe flights and pass on fuel costs to consumers.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2026
Stoneman, who ran the section responsible for overseeing implementation of the Lowndes County settlement, chose to depart the DOJ shortly after the agreement was axed.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026
With customer demand drying up for luxury EVs, and federal incentives getting axed by vengeful Republicans, Mercedes put its first-generation EVs on ice.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Apr. 2026
Don’t be surprised if this same great hire gets axed for showing any initiative at all in the job.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
When asked about the decision to axe the privacy feature, Meta told PCMag that very few people were opting in for the additional security.
—Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
An episode of Channel 4’s Celebrity Great British Bake Off featuring ex-BBC radio presenter Scott Mills has been axed.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026
Lopes held that post from 2000-02, going 144-195 in those three seasons before being axed.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Some were axed immediately; others were rewritten and re-recorded, keeping Oli’s voice pure, stripped of the vocal doubling that had been his signature on previous records.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Axe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axe. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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