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.
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 Web
New Atlas, 25 July 2025
The short clip features Maya locking herself in the bathroom of an unfamiliar home when all of a sudden an axe comes flying through the closed door.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 24 July 2025
And my biggest fear was waking up in a police cell and having an old lady say to a police officer, yes, that's the guy who ran my husband down, or that's the guy who hit my son over the head with an axe.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 24 July 2025
Colbert also reacted to Trump alleging Kimmel would be the next to get the axe in his Late Show monologue on Monday.
—Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 22 July 2025
So, Namco filled out the roster with the likes of Astaroth, who wields a screen-filling axe, and Raphael, who opts for a paper-thin rapier.
—Luke Winkie, Vulture, 18 June 2025
For example, Mars Sample Return — a project to haul home Red Planet material already collected by NASA's Perseverance rover — would get the axe.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 31 May 2025
Manager Brandon Hyde got the axe Saturday, along with long-time friend Tim Cossins, the team’s catching instructor.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
The recreation facility, which Murphy will operate, will have a bar and kitchen as well as escape rooms, axe throwing, electronic darts and an outdoor ropes course.
—Jake Allen, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
Peter White, Deadline, 18 July 2025
Haack, Heather and Tarek have all stayed quiet about their shows getting axed from HGTV.
—Caroline Blair, People.com, 16 July 2025
French Prime Minister François Bayrou proposed axing two public holidays as part of €44 billion in cuts in order to bridge the country’s gaping budget deficit.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 16 July 2025
On Bluesky, Romero Games confirmed that its publisher had axed its funding.
—PC Magazine, 7 July 2025
Scientists have been desperate to get back to Venus, for example, after a chemical compound associated with life was potentially detected high in its atmosphere in 2020; the two missions that would get us there are axed out of the administration’s budget.
—Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 4 July 2025
Theater groups, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum and various community organizations also had funding axed out of the budget.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2025
Liam Lawson was his teammate for the first two races until he was axed from the team and sent down to Racing Bulls.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
As companies like Netflix double down on unlimited PTO benefits, the boss of $11 billion fintech company, Bolt has just axed the policy altogether.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 2 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Just like previous iteration, the V3 takes the form of an axe that measures 16 inches (41 cm) tall from the knob (base of the handle) to the eye up top.
—New Atlas, 25 July 2025
The short clip features Maya locking herself in the bathroom of an unfamiliar home when all of a sudden an axe comes flying through the closed door.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 24 July 2025
And my biggest fear was waking up in a police cell and having an old lady say to a police officer, yes, that's the guy who ran my husband down, or that's the guy who hit my son over the head with an axe.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 24 July 2025
Colbert also reacted to Trump alleging Kimmel would be the next to get the axe in his Late Show monologue on Monday.
—Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 22 July 2025
So, Namco filled out the roster with the likes of Astaroth, who wields a screen-filling axe, and Raphael, who opts for a paper-thin rapier.
—Luke Winkie, Vulture, 18 June 2025
For example, Mars Sample Return — a project to haul home Red Planet material already collected by NASA's Perseverance rover — would get the axe.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 31 May 2025
Manager Brandon Hyde got the axe Saturday, along with long-time friend Tim Cossins, the team’s catching instructor.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
The recreation facility, which Murphy will operate, will have a bar and kitchen as well as escape rooms, axe throwing, electronic darts and an outdoor ropes course.
—Jake Allen, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
Verb
Warner Bros Discovery’s TBS axed Full Frontal With Samantha Bee after seven seasons in 2022.
—Peter White, Deadline, 18 July 2025
Haack, Heather and Tarek have all stayed quiet about their shows getting axed from HGTV.
—Caroline Blair, People.com, 16 July 2025
French Prime Minister François Bayrou proposed axing two public holidays as part of €44 billion in cuts in order to bridge the country’s gaping budget deficit.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 16 July 2025
On Bluesky, Romero Games confirmed that its publisher had axed its funding.
—PC Magazine, 7 July 2025
Scientists have been desperate to get back to Venus, for example, after a chemical compound associated with life was potentially detected high in its atmosphere in 2020; the two missions that would get us there are axed out of the administration’s budget.
—Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 4 July 2025
Theater groups, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum and various community organizations also had funding axed out of the budget.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2025
Liam Lawson was his teammate for the first two races until he was axed from the team and sent down to Racing Bulls.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
As companies like Netflix double down on unlimited PTO benefits, the boss of $11 billion fintech company, Bolt has just axed the policy altogether.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Axe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axe. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
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