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

Relevance

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 The airline had previously offered service from San Antonio to Toronto before axing it in 2019. — Richard Webner, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026 Netflix is laying off around 1,000 employees, around 6% of its workforce, in what marks the company’s largest axing to date. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026 Documents produced by two DHS whistleblowers in February showed that ICE had significantly scaled up its hiring while axing several screening and training protocols for officers. — Connor Greene, Time, 12 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for axing
  1. sacking
  2. removing
  3. dismissing
  4. firing
  5. retiring
  6. releasing
Verb
  • The underlying data shows the Chiefs should be sacking the quarterback at a higher rate already, albeit still not near an elite rate.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Sayin’s injury came after Hoosiers defender Mario Landino hit his throwing shoulder while sacking him.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of sacking
Verb
  • Hoffenheim's Andrej Kramaric scored the club's 1,000th Bundesliga goal, and Alexander Prass was sent off after removing his shirt to celebrate his goal while already booked.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The takeaway here is that removing debris from orbit requires careful planning.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of removing
Verb
  • In September, Judge Jonathan Medema ordered a stay of the civil case so the two sides could work to resolve the dispute without dismissing the case.
    — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The court granted that request, entering judgment for the United States on Count III of the government’s complaint and dismissing the remaining counts as moot.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismissing
Verb
  • Although Chen Mechan is accused of firing on the Salvadoran’s vehicles, sources said its heavily armed men received backup from Joseph’s 400 Mawozo, which controls the neighboring territory.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Ballard is gone, so if the current trend continues firing Steichen is the next logical move.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of firing
Verb
  • The couple made the first of what would be many toasts over dinner beneath chandeliers and amid floral arrangements by Noah’s mom, Wendy, before retiring to twin beds ahead of the wedding proper.
    — Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Roth, who’s credited with modernizing the sheriff’s office, went on to serve another 18 years before retiring in 2009.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of retiring
Verb
  • Compared to Geese, who spent years touring and releasing records before finally striking gold, Heathers has taken the sort of industry fast-track that makes conspiracy theorists start rolling out their corkboards and thumbtacks.
    — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
  • By storing heat during lower-price periods and releasing it when electricity becomes more valuable, nuclear plants could potentially improve the revenue earned from their generation.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of releasing

Browse Nearby Words

axes
axing
axiom
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Axing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/axing. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wraith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All