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
CBS News, 6 May 2026
By signing deals that see customers share in the risks that come with a capacity expansion, Corning is positioned to grow revenue over the coming years without taking a major axe to its near-term cash flows.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 6 May 2026
Last month, two Israeli soldiers were removed from combat duty after a photo circulated online showing one of the soldiers taking what appeared to be an axe or sledgehammer to the face of a statue of Jesus Christ in the area of the Christian village of Debel, in southern Lebanon.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 1 May 2026
The Colorado Rockies surged after Clint Hurdle got the axe, and Jim Tracy was brought in, reaching their second-straight Wild Card game after finishing 74-42 under the second skipper.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Clues surfaced over the decades—Irvine’s ice axe had been found in 1933.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Apr. 2026
There were no skeletons at the bottom, just various farm implements (an axe, a bark spud used for peeling bark off fresh tree trunks, a chain, and various minor trinkets).
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
The line's North to Alaska program brings Indigenous Alaskans and resident experts on board, from lumberjacks who can swing an axe with style to mountain climbers who have tackled Denali.
—Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
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
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 10 May 2026
In a tacit acknowledgement of the opposition his bill faced, Valdez voluntarily axed the measure.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 8 May 2026
The addition of ripple fries, billed as a healthier version of the fast-food staple, lasted five months before being axed.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
Also axed was an anti-terrorism program that had trained more than 430,000 state and local law enforcement officers and other partners since 1996.
—Andrea Hagan, The Conversation, 6 May 2026
Amazon has been laying off staff en masse this year, axing over 16,000 employees in 2026 so far.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 2 May 2026
After she and the entire staff at the New York Vanguard get axed via text message, Andy makes a stirring speech championing the importance of journalism.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The Boston Red Sox, in last place in the American League East, let go of Alex Cora, and then the Philadelphia Phillies axed Rob Thomson.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
The city is also contemplating axing more than 94 vacant jobs.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026
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
In April 2023, a 25-year-old man entered a daycare center in the southern state of Santa Catarina and killed four children between the ages of 3 and 7 with an axe.
—CBS News, 6 May 2026
By signing deals that see customers share in the risks that come with a capacity expansion, Corning is positioned to grow revenue over the coming years without taking a major axe to its near-term cash flows.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 6 May 2026
Last month, two Israeli soldiers were removed from combat duty after a photo circulated online showing one of the soldiers taking what appeared to be an axe or sledgehammer to the face of a statue of Jesus Christ in the area of the Christian village of Debel, in southern Lebanon.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 1 May 2026
The Colorado Rockies surged after Clint Hurdle got the axe, and Jim Tracy was brought in, reaching their second-straight Wild Card game after finishing 74-42 under the second skipper.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Clues surfaced over the decades—Irvine’s ice axe had been found in 1933.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Apr. 2026
There were no skeletons at the bottom, just various farm implements (an axe, a bark spud used for peeling bark off fresh tree trunks, a chain, and various minor trinkets).
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
The line's North to Alaska program brings Indigenous Alaskans and resident experts on board, from lumberjacks who can swing an axe with style to mountain climbers who have tackled Denali.
—Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
After a few years, Turner could probably escape his standstill by quitting the board, and press to axe Levin and ascend to CEO.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 10 May 2026
In a tacit acknowledgement of the opposition his bill faced, Valdez voluntarily axed the measure.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 8 May 2026
The addition of ripple fries, billed as a healthier version of the fast-food staple, lasted five months before being axed.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
Also axed was an anti-terrorism program that had trained more than 430,000 state and local law enforcement officers and other partners since 1996.
—Andrea Hagan, The Conversation, 6 May 2026
Amazon has been laying off staff en masse this year, axing over 16,000 employees in 2026 so far.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 2 May 2026
After she and the entire staff at the New York Vanguard get axed via text message, Andy makes a stirring speech championing the importance of journalism.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The Boston Red Sox, in last place in the American League East, let go of Alex Cora, and then the Philadelphia Phillies axed Rob Thomson.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
The city is also contemplating axing more than 94 vacant jobs.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Axe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axe. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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