axing

verb

present participle of ax
as in sacking
to let go from office, service, or employment the boss will ax anyone who leaks company secrets

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 axing In his July memo, Blume said the company is considering axing a further 50,000 roles globally and closing four factories in Germany. — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 24 July 2026 For the first time since temporarily axing the base model WRX for 2025, Subaru regained traction with its sport compact, with sales jumping 50% from a year ago. — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 4 June 2026 More than a dozen are rumored to be on his shortlist for axing, after several more were voluntarily killed or amended to avoid the gallows. — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 15 May 2026 Brendan McDermid | Reuters Amazon is axing its Rufus chatbot and making its Alexa assistant the centerpiece of its artificial intelligence shopping strategy. — Annie Palmer, CNBC, 13 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 The city is also contemplating axing more than 94 vacant jobs. — Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026 The biggest headline in Europe this week was German airline Lufthansa axing 20,000 flights through October. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026 Membership perks are also changing, with the city axing unlimited play time for annual members and removing reserved tee times that were always set aside for several longstanding golf associations in the city. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for axing
  1. sacking
  2. removing
  3. dismissing
  4. firing
  5. retiring
  6. releasing
Verb
  • The museum replaced him with Sasha Suda, hiring her away from the National Gallery of Canada before sacking her following a disastrous rebrand and replacing her with Weiss, a former president of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 29 July 2026
  • But so far, the government has decided not to intervene by sacking him and has backpedalled, allowing Russia to participate.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 23 July 2026
Definition of sacking
Verb
  • Leaders add value by asking better questions, widening perspectives, connecting people, allocating resources and removing the obstacles that slow great work.
    — Brent McHugh, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • The state added women to the workforce without removing men from their role as sole providers.
    — Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of removing
Verb
  • Washington has gone from dismissing Zelensky to seeking deals of its own with Ukraine.
    — Thomas Nagorski, Time, 27 July 2026
  • An unchecked ego further erodes psychological safety, as dismissing feedback signals that team contributions are unwelcome, creating dangerous blind spots.
    — Dr. Samantha Madhosingh, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of dismissing
Verb
  • Police said the gunfire erupted when at least two people began firing at one another on July 26 at the Bite of Seattle event, a three-day festival at the Seattle Center, an outdoor park home to the Space Needle.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 27 July 2026
  • The victim then crawled into another bedroom, and Perry followed him, firing another shot while standing in the doorway, according to court documents.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026
Definition of firing
Verb
  • Former chief voices his support All of this played out as Kowalski was retiring from the department.
    — Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Baresi is regarded as an AC Milan icon, having spent his entire 20-year career with the club, winning six Serie A titles and three top European trophies, and captaining the team for 15 seasons before retiring in 1997.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
Definition of retiring
Verb
  • Soak for 30 minutes to absorb the bath’s therapeutic benefits which include releasing tension, cleansing your skin, and relaxing your body.
    — Rana Good, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Food waste to renewable natural gas Here, a special cocktail of microbes will feed on the slurry, releasing gases, like methane, as a waste product.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of releasing

Browse Nearby Words

axes
axing
axiom
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Cite this Entry

“Axing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/axing. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on axing

Nglish: Translation of axing for Spanish Speakers

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