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
  • Despite the use of search dogs and removing slabs of concrete, police came up empty.
    — Eileen Murphy, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The order prevents anyone from withholding or obstructing necessary treatment or removing, discharging, or transferring the child while the court considers the case.
    — Briseida Holguin, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of removing
Verb
  • Exxon was far from alone in its historical awareness of CO₂ and rigorous research into its ongoing ecological impacts—and in its subsequent shift toward dismissing or denying the veracity of its own science.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Developer Senko Rasic argued in post that went viral - that dismissing coding as never having been the hard part insults programmers.
    — Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissing
Verb
  • The team flew over around 1,700 square miles, firing rapid laser pulses at the ground.
    — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Davis himself isn’t accused of firing the gun but providing the weapon and helping orchestrate the crime.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of firing
Verb
  • That work is arguably getting harder as chief executives stay in the job longer, causing their possible successors to get restless; some are bolting to jobs elsewhere or retiring themselves.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Mogg is a former PGA Tour player, the world’s highest level of competitive golf, and since retiring has coached players on the PGA, LPGA, Champions and Korn Ferry Tours to more than 30 championships.
    — Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of retiring
Verb
  • Orbit was a member of the electronic music trio Torch Song in the early 1980s, releasing three albums on the IRS label before moving into music production, including creating the soundtrack for the 1986 hockey film Youngblood.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The office will confirm identifications and ensure proper paperwork is filed before releasing the remains back to family.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 7 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 13 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on axing

Nglish: Translation of axing for Spanish Speakers

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