variants
or ax
plural axes
1
: a cutting tool that consists of a heavy edged head fixed to a handle with the edge parallel to the handle and that is used especially for felling trees and chopping and splitting wood
2
: a hammer with a sharp edge for dressing (see dress entry 1 sense 6e) or spalling stone
3
informal
a
: removal from office or release from employment : dismissal
—usually used with the
Employees with poor evaluations got the axe.
Trump quickly gave him the ax [=fired him] for his incompetence.—
Laura Petrecca
Laura Petrecca
b
: abrupt elimination or severe reduction of something
Unlimited expense accounts, signing bonuses, and office plants—all are getting the ax [=being cut or eliminated] thanks to corporate cost-cutting measures.—Amanda Hinnant
Amanda HinnantNo party was brave enough to offend its supporters by taking an axe to [=severely reducing] expenditure.—The Economist
The Economist4
slang
: any of several musical instruments (such as a guitar or a saxophone)
variants
or ax
axed; axing; axes
1
a
: to shape, dress (see dress entry 1 sense 6e), or trim with an axe
axe stone
b
: to chop, split, or sever with an axe
axe branches from a tree
2
informal
: to remove abruptly (as from employment or from a budget)
The TV program was axed from the new schedule.
Synonyms
Examples of axe in a Sentence
Noun
the company was hemorrhaging money, so 700 employees would soon be given the ax
Verb
The boss told him that he had been axed.
the boss will ax anyone who leaks company secrets
Recent Examples on the WebJill Schlesinger, The Mercury News, 29 July 2024
Balance is easily achieved: think a morning of archery and axe throwing before an afternoon Southern honey tasting and orchard tour.
—Kathryn Romeyn, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
This means using a scalpel rather than an axe to force Israel to own the consequences of its behavior in the West Bank without eroding its overall security posture in the face of legitimate and ongoing threats from Iran and its proxies.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2024
Cornhole, pickleball, and axe throwing are all on the docket.
—Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2024
The Adventure Park at Storrs also offers 3 lanes of outdoor axe throwing.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2024
The Thunder Valley tour stop for this megalodon includes Southern Rock axe titan and Gov’t Mule head honcho Warren Haynes and his band, along with the enigmatic Samantha Fish and the ever-prodigious Eric Gales (7 p.m. Friday, July 12. thundervalleyresort.com).
—Aaron Davis, Sacramento Bee, 30 June 2024
Through Iron Ocean, Biel and Purple also served as EPs on Candy, the limited series starring Biel as axe murderer Candy Montgomery, which had the best debut of any Hulu title since the fourth season of The Handmaid’s Tale hit the platform in May 2021.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 June 2024
This is what the forests that cloak the surrounding mountains and valleys looked like before the axe and the chainsaw.
—Alexis Marie Adams, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2024
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 26 July 2024
The Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 would have the state borrow $10 billion to pay for climate and environmental projects — including some that were axed from the budget because of an unprecedented deficit.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2024
Much of Musk’s shrinking piggy bank stems from a Delaware judge’s January axing of his record Tesla compensation package then valued at $51 billion, which caused Forbes to discount the value of the equity award by 50% due to uncertainty of Musk ever getting hold of those stock options.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 5 July 2024
The series — which was axed after two seasons in June 2021 — followed Levy as Zoey Clarke, a software developer who suddenly hears the innermost thoughts of people as elaborate musical numbers.
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 20 June 2024
There were 22 generator projects in the final budget; DeSantis axed more than a dozen while leaving others alone,, with no explanation of how those decisions were made.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 16 June 2024
As of Friday morning, more than 1,000 flights originating in the United States had been canceled and more than 2,600 had been axed globally, according to data from Cirium Aviation Analytics shared with Travel + Leisure.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 19 July 2024
Burberry also reportedly axed hundreds of jobs earlier this month due to its shrinking market value.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 15 July 2024
Delta and American Airlines, which had axed their change flight fees early in the pandemic, eliminated cancellation charges in late 2023.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 2 July 2024
Noun
In 2022, which was an awful year for investors, very few asked about giving the axe to their financial pro.
—Jill Schlesinger, The Mercury News, 29 July 2024
Balance is easily achieved: think a morning of archery and axe throwing before an afternoon Southern honey tasting and orchard tour.
—Kathryn Romeyn, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
This means using a scalpel rather than an axe to force Israel to own the consequences of its behavior in the West Bank without eroding its overall security posture in the face of legitimate and ongoing threats from Iran and its proxies.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2024
Cornhole, pickleball, and axe throwing are all on the docket.
—Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2024
The Adventure Park at Storrs also offers 3 lanes of outdoor axe throwing.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2024
The Thunder Valley tour stop for this megalodon includes Southern Rock axe titan and Gov’t Mule head honcho Warren Haynes and his band, along with the enigmatic Samantha Fish and the ever-prodigious Eric Gales (7 p.m. Friday, July 12. thundervalleyresort.com).
—Aaron Davis, Sacramento Bee, 30 June 2024
Through Iron Ocean, Biel and Purple also served as EPs on Candy, the limited series starring Biel as axe murderer Candy Montgomery, which had the best debut of any Hulu title since the fourth season of The Handmaid’s Tale hit the platform in May 2021.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 June 2024
This is what the forests that cloak the surrounding mountains and valleys looked like before the axe and the chainsaw.
—Alexis Marie Adams, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2024
Verb
The show was well-rated and a petition was launched to save it when it was axed.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 26 July 2024
The Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 would have the state borrow $10 billion to pay for climate and environmental projects — including some that were axed from the budget because of an unprecedented deficit.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2024
Much of Musk’s shrinking piggy bank stems from a Delaware judge’s January axing of his record Tesla compensation package then valued at $51 billion, which caused Forbes to discount the value of the equity award by 50% due to uncertainty of Musk ever getting hold of those stock options.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 5 July 2024
The series — which was axed after two seasons in June 2021 — followed Levy as Zoey Clarke, a software developer who suddenly hears the innermost thoughts of people as elaborate musical numbers.
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 20 June 2024
There were 22 generator projects in the final budget; DeSantis axed more than a dozen while leaving others alone,, with no explanation of how those decisions were made.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 16 June 2024
As of Friday morning, more than 1,000 flights originating in the United States had been canceled and more than 2,600 had been axed globally, according to data from Cirium Aviation Analytics shared with Travel + Leisure.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 19 July 2024
Burberry also reportedly axed hundreds of jobs earlier this month due to its shrinking market value.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 15 July 2024
Delta and American Airlines, which had axed their change flight fees early in the pandemic, eliminated cancellation charges in late 2023.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 2 July 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'axe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near axe
Cite this Entry
“Axe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axe. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
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