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
Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
The festival features competitions in archery, belly dancing, axe throwing, barbecue, fairy houses and gardening.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Excursions to go horseback riding, try axe throwing and archery, or go fishing are all easy to plan as well.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2025
Want to compete in axe throwing at a chuckwagon dinner?
—Emily Pennington, Outside, 14 Aug. 2025
Thirty-six warehouse workers were impacted by the layoffs, with seven lead warehouse workers also getting the axe.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 13 Aug. 2025
Amateur lumberjacks will love popping the CAM open and pulling out the 6-in-long (15-cm) axe head only to find an 8-in (20-cm) carbon steel saw blade waiting on the other side.
—New Atlas, 25 July 2025
The Soviets, at least, get points for style, and not just for the notorious ice axe that did in Trotsky.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
The streamer has reportedly ordered a fourth season of Murphy’s Monster anthology series, this time centered around infamous (alleged) axe murderer Lizzie Borden.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 8 July 2025
Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 19 Aug. 2025
Pablo Guede was axed after his team lost its fourth loss in five Liga MX Apertura matches, a 2-0 defeat to Atletico San Luis.
—Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
At least three Ohio pickup-only locations will be axed in 2026.
—Alex Perry, The Enquirer, 18 Aug. 2025
Had Colbert, a vocal critic of Trump, been axed because of a backroom deal between Paramount and the President?
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2025
That same year, General Motors rolled out a new top trim of the GMC Sierra, called the C3, which packed all-wheel drive, a stronger engine, and a nicer interior than other Sierras; by the following year, the C3 name was axed in favor of Denali, which has stuck around since.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2025
Susquehanna axed its price target on Fortinet to $80 from $110 following the cybersecurity company's earnings report contained some disappointing commentary on the firewall refresh cycle.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2025
Since Carano was axed from The Mandalorian after the second season, many fans wondered how the Disney+ show was going to explain her absence.
—Caroline Blair, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
This typically leads to select products or services being axed, as well as non-essential departments or roles being eliminated.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Meanwhile, the Reserve Lodge offers wilderness activities that include axe throwing, sporting clay shooting, archery, and more to come.
—Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
The festival features competitions in archery, belly dancing, axe throwing, barbecue, fairy houses and gardening.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Excursions to go horseback riding, try axe throwing and archery, or go fishing are all easy to plan as well.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2025
Want to compete in axe throwing at a chuckwagon dinner?
—Emily Pennington, Outside, 14 Aug. 2025
Thirty-six warehouse workers were impacted by the layoffs, with seven lead warehouse workers also getting the axe.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 13 Aug. 2025
Amateur lumberjacks will love popping the CAM open and pulling out the 6-in-long (15-cm) axe head only to find an 8-in (20-cm) carbon steel saw blade waiting on the other side.
—New Atlas, 25 July 2025
The Soviets, at least, get points for style, and not just for the notorious ice axe that did in Trotsky.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
The streamer has reportedly ordered a fourth season of Murphy’s Monster anthology series, this time centered around infamous (alleged) axe murderer Lizzie Borden.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 8 July 2025
Verb
President Trump’s big, beautiful bill axed tax credits for wind and solar.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 19 Aug. 2025
Pablo Guede was axed after his team lost its fourth loss in five Liga MX Apertura matches, a 2-0 defeat to Atletico San Luis.
—Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
At least three Ohio pickup-only locations will be axed in 2026.
—Alex Perry, The Enquirer, 18 Aug. 2025
Had Colbert, a vocal critic of Trump, been axed because of a backroom deal between Paramount and the President?
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2025
That same year, General Motors rolled out a new top trim of the GMC Sierra, called the C3, which packed all-wheel drive, a stronger engine, and a nicer interior than other Sierras; by the following year, the C3 name was axed in favor of Denali, which has stuck around since.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2025
Susquehanna axed its price target on Fortinet to $80 from $110 following the cybersecurity company's earnings report contained some disappointing commentary on the firewall refresh cycle.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2025
Since Carano was axed from The Mandalorian after the second season, many fans wondered how the Disney+ show was going to explain her absence.
—Caroline Blair, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
This typically leads to select products or services being axed, as well as non-essential departments or roles being eliminated.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Axe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axe. Accessed 2 Sep. 2025.
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