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 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 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
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
  • Niforatos said removing the products from the market is the best course of action.
    — Karen Morfitt, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Tate said the best way to keep snakes out of your car is by removing what’s drawing the animals in.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of removing
Verb
  • Petersen allegedly deferred to a male sergeant’s expertise on topics including firearms and internal affairs while dismissing Kennon’s expertise in other areas.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026
  • With the commander-in-chief and defense secretary now dismissing those reports as false, Congress should require a bipartisan committee of former military members to visit the ship.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissing
Verb
  • Video released by police after the shooting showed two officers charging into the school and killing the shooter, who’d just fatally shot three 9-year-olds and three adults and was firing from a window.
    — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • More pertinently, Leeds United operated in the same formation in their 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in April, attacking down the sides and firing over crosses.
    — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of firing
Verb
  • Cierria Davison took a leap of faith to start Over the Top after retiring early from Walmart during the pandemic.
    — Leondra Head, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • More American women are retiring solo than ever before and redefining what financial independence looks like.
    — Angie O’Leary, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of retiring
Verb
  • Marked by high highs and low lows, the path of Men at Work was brisk, with the group releasing three albums in about four years before breaking up in 1986.
    — Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • If Pyburn did attempt to go back to college without the Buccaneers releasing him, Tampa Bay would retain his NFL rights.
    — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 21 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 25 Aug. 2026.

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