axe

British  

/ æks /

noun

1. a hand tool with one side of its head forged and sharpened to a cutting edge, used for felling trees, splitting timber, etc See also hatchet

2. 1. an ulterior motive

   2. a grievance

   3. a pet subject

3. informal

   1. dismissal, esp from employment; the sack (esp in the phrase get the axe )

   2. severe cutting down of expenditure, esp the removal of unprofitable sections of a public service

4. slang any musical instrument, esp a guitar or horn

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verb

1. to chop or trim with an axe

2. informal to dismiss (employees), restrict (expenditure or services), or terminate (a project)

Etymology

Origin of axe

Old English æx; related to Old Frisian axa, Old High German acchus, Old Norse öx, Latin ascia, Greek axinē

Example Sentences

The future Peaches eventually strapped on an electric axe, then found she could do everything a band could do by herself, using electronics.

From Los Angeles Times

South Ayrshire Council is axing the diving programme and shutting down the only diving pool on the west side of the country.

From BBC

Then he shouldered his quiver and bow, and scrabbled in the wreckage for his small black basalt axe.

From Literature

"We have jobs, but we don't make anything," he added, as he took an axe to a tree stump in a neighbouring plot.

From Barron's

He lets them know that he’s icing Gerri and, since he’s in a mood, axing Cyd too, instructing Tom to stay on Roman to make sure he doesn’t punk out.

From Salon

Related Words

• consume
• crush
• damage
• dismantle
• end
• eradicate
• gut
• impair
• kill
• maim
• ravage
• raze
• ruin
• sabotage
• shatter
• smash
• smash-up
• wipe out
• wreck