ax 1 of 2

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

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
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 The convent demolition also came days after images of an Israeli soldier wielding an ax against a fallen statue of Jesus on the cross in the village of Debel sparked widespread condemnation. ABC News, 6 May 2026
Verb
Cloudflare axed a fifth of its staff after realizing that thousands of AI agents can handle the humans’ old tasks. Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 15 May 2026 Trade groups such as the American Gaming Association have lobbied for it to be axed. Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for ax
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ax
Noun
  • The dismissal came weeks before the defendant was set to go to trial.
    David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2026
  • In some ways, even that unceremonious dismissal is an acknowledgement that managers do matter.
    Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • United also won the FA Cup under Erik ten Hag in 2024 though he was sacked later that year and replaced by Ruben Amorim, who himself was dismissed in January 2026.
    Sam Joseph, New York Times, 15 May 2026
  • Starmer sacked Mandelson last September after a trove of emails revealed the depth of his ties with Epstein.
    Elizabeth Piper, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Noun
  • Cohutta Police Department vehicles CBS News Atlanta Town attorney Bryan Rayburn later told the council the firings did not follow the town charter, which requires 30 days' notice before employees can be suspended or removed.
    CBS News, CBS News, 18 May 2026
  • According to the team, the firing shook the control hut as a long stream of flame burst from the copper engine.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
Verb
  • According to police, the suspects allegedly stole multiple vehicles throughout the spree and fired shots at apartment complexes, homes, pedestrians and two fire stations.
    Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
  • Though OpenAI was making progress on research and development, Musk had demanded that Altman and other co-founders, including Brockman and Ilya Sutskever, make a list of employees and their key contributions, and fire everyone who didn't immediately make the grade, filings show.
    Ashley Capoot,Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 18 May 2026
Noun
  • Public pressure and her deteriorating health led to releases and furloughs.
    Irwin Cotler, Time, 8 May 2026
  • Sade is in prison and is staying with Mina while on a three-day furlough, which provides a neat framework for their reunion.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2026
Verb
  • The attorney general will pick who disburses money from the fund and the president can remove any of those people, according to the DOJ.
    Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 19 May 2026
  • This was the era of decolonization, when nation-states delivered one-third of humanity from the humiliation of imperial rule, restoring political autonomy and dignity where they had long been removed.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
Verb
  • The court recommended that the petition be dismissed, and that the organizations be given one month to submit the employee lists.
    Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 15 May 2026
  • Even the foundations of today’s artificial intelligence boom were laid by the NSF in the 1980s and 1990s, when neural networks were a backwater dismissed by mainstream computer science.
    Gautam Mukunda, Twin Cities, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Juan Pinillos, the current North Miami Beach Police chief, said the department could not answer specific questions – like why not all the boys were interviewed – because the lead detective in the case had retired, and so much time had passed.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
  • After retiring from the LAPD in 1995, Fuhrman became a conservative commentator, true-crime author and television personality.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Ax.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ax. Accessed 22 May. 2026.

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