ax 1 of 2

noun

ˈaks How to pronounce ax (audio)
variants or axe
Definition of axnext
as in dismissal
the termination of the employment of an employee or a work force often temporarily the company was hemorrhaging money, so 700 employees would soon be given the ax

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ax

2 of 2

verb

variants or axe
as in to sack
to let go from office, service, or employment the boss will ax anyone who leaks company secrets

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of ax
Noun
Smit Machchhar with the cockpit's crash axe, incapacitating him and causing the aircraft to plummet before passengers on board seized control of the plane. — Michael Sinkewicz , Elizabeth Pritchett, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026 This is the first confirmation by UAE authorities that the co-pilot had attacked the captain and identified the weapon used as a crash axe. — Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
In a report on the outage published on Friday, NATS said a software defect in the National Airspace System, which allocates codes so air traffic controllers can identify flights on radar, was behind the decision to ax the flights. — Pan Pylas, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 While there was skepticism whether the series would ever see the light of day, Apple TV had consistently held the line that The Savant was delayed but not axed and will be released. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ax
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ax
  1. dismissal
  2. sack
  3. firing
  4. fire
  5. furlough
  6. remove
  7. dismiss
  8. retire
Noun
  • Trump’s Justice Department has been reviewing the pending cases one by one before seeking dismissal.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The widespread dismissal of standardized testing is one of the silliest and most harmful developments in the past twenty-five years of education discourse.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of dismissal
Verb
  • He was sacked four times, and the Seahawks were flagged twice for roughing the passer.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The Dolphins got constant pressure on the former first overall pick, sacking him four times.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of sack
Noun
  • Director Kash Patel says the report aims to promote accountability and rebuild public trust; critics say his investigations and firings have politicized the bureau and further undermined confidence.
    — Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The firing came after local station KGW unearthed tweets from Bell's account written between 2012 and 2014.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of firing
Verb
  • Garfield plays Sam as a charming villain, capable of talking himself back into the leadership position even after he has been fired by the board for shady dealings.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The movie charts the evolution of OpenAI and dramatizes the tumultuous time when Altman was controversially fired and then rehired by the AI giant.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of fire
Noun
  • Layoffs, unpaid staff furloughs and school closures probably are ahead as the leaders downsize operations.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Pilots, flight attendants and other aviation workers faced pay cuts and furloughs from the decrease in flyers.
    — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of furlough
Verb
  • Other organizations abandoned associations with Hastert, and his portrait was removed from a hallway outside the House chamber.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Community organizations spent decades cultivating wealthy baby boomer donors, and so that connection fades with each generation removed from the original donors.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of remove
Verb
  • The complaint escalates the department’s battle with the federal judiciary, which has halted administration priorities, dismissed high-profile prosecutions and accused government lawyers in some cases of failing to comply with court orders.
    — Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The state did not seek to dismiss allegations related to Morrissey’s statements to the media or to her agreement to log a cache of bullets under a separate case number, functionally hiding them from the defense.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of dismiss
Verb
  • Issa decided to retire after his congressional district was redrawn because of Proposition 50.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • More experienced tradespeople are retiring, while fewer young workers are entering fields such as welding, electrical work, plumbing, advanced manufacturing, and industrial maintenance.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of retire

Browse Nearby Words

aw-shucks
ax
axed
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Cite this Entry

“Ax.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ax. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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