axe

/ 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

verb

1. to chop or trim with an axe

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of axe¹

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

Example Sentences

STV bosses have been accused of financial mismanagement and cultural vandalism after announcing plans to cut jobs and axe a north of Scotland news programme.

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The Resolution Foundation think tank says axing the policy would cost £3.5bn a year.

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The 37-year-old father of two was killed with an axe in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London, in 1987.

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It comes after the coffee chain announced in February it was axing 1,100 jobs and simplifying its US menu to help flagging sales in its home market.

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Despite fears over the size of this year's crop, Mr Whalley said he was positive the event would not be axed, with organisers having taken "preventative measures" to preserve what has fallen.

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Related Words

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