as in dismissals
the termination of the employment of an employee or a work force often temporarily
the company was hemorrhaging money, so 700 employees would soon be given the ax
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in centers
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
in addition to being the suburb's social axis, the country club is the place where deals are made and partnerships are forged
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in alliances
an association of persons, parties, or states for mutual assistance and protection
an axis of previously nonaligned nations
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in sacks
to let go from office, service, or employment
the boss will ax anyone who leaks company secrets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of axes
Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
Pete Hegseth axes investigation into Apache flyover at Kid Rock's mansion.
—FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
On this day in 1863 more than 100 women armed with knives, axes, and pistols marched to Richmond, Virginia’s capitol to demand a meeting with the governor.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Approximately 4,200 ice axes were sold in the United States, with an additional 1,160 sold in Canada.
—Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Hiking with a nine-time Everest guide who outfits us with ice axes, ropes, harnesses, and crampons and leads us up a spur—where no other people have been this season—for our own bite-size moment of glory.
—Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2026
This device is a high-tech centrifuge that simulates microgravity by spinning vials with samples around two axes, effectively confusing the cells inside as to their position in space.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2026
There was a soft one that didn’t melt, and there were real metal axes that were sharp and not sharp.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
Those are just people with axes to grind against us.
—Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
To control their descent, they’re given ice axes to dig into the snow as a brake.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
Pete Hegseth axes investigation into Apache flyover at Kid Rock's mansion.
—FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
On this day in 1863 more than 100 women armed with knives, axes, and pistols marched to Richmond, Virginia’s capitol to demand a meeting with the governor.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Approximately 4,200 ice axes were sold in the United States, with an additional 1,160 sold in Canada.
—Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Hiking with a nine-time Everest guide who outfits us with ice axes, ropes, harnesses, and crampons and leads us up a spur—where no other people have been this season—for our own bite-size moment of glory.
—Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2026
This device is a high-tech centrifuge that simulates microgravity by spinning vials with samples around two axes, effectively confusing the cells inside as to their position in space.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2026
There was a soft one that didn’t melt, and there were real metal axes that were sharp and not sharp.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
Those are just people with axes to grind against us.
—Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
The passed by Republicans last month axes the credits for projects that don’t begin producing electricity by 2028.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for axes
Verb
-
Manning, back for what is probably his final season, is on the short list of best returning quarterbacks in the country and edge rusher Colin Simmons won the SEC sacks title with 12.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Riley Moss sacks a scrambling Trevor Lawrence on third-and-4 for a 1-yard loss.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
These gadgets, imported from China or Russia or homemade in the US with 3D printers, transform a semiautomatic weapon—which fires a single round with each trigger pull—into a fully automatic one, able to discharge at a rate of 1,200 rounds per minute, limited only by the capacity of the magazine.—
Simon Akam,
Vanity Fair,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Orion will spend 90-minutes in its initial orbit, before the second stage fires its engines twice to send Orion to a high Earth elliptical orbit.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On Friday, Gilliam was on an ECMO machine, a heart-lung bypass system that removes carbon dioxide from the blood and sends oxygen-rich blood back to the body, while allowing the heart and lungs to rest, according to the Mayo Clinic.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The new framework removes these dependencies by learning from non-visual sensor data.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Henry immediately dismisses his class.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Luari dismisses that speculation, saying her problems are not tied to her rapid expansion, but rather uncontrollable financial setbacks.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Homecoming through death, which, once the card is dealt, releases me from my placelessness .—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
-
This releases chlorine atoms — like a microscopic, demented Pac-Man, a single one can devour more than 100,000 ozone molecules.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The average American actually retires at 62, according to two respected annual surveys, from the Employee Benefit Research Institute and the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Despite delays and concerns about the readiness of a new commercial station when NASA retires the ISS, the White House requested only a small increase in funding for this program in 2027.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Axes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/axes. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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