sax

¹ American  

[saks] / sæks /

noun

Informal.

1. saxophone.

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sax ² American  

[saks] / sæks /

noun

1. a short, single-edged sword of ancient Scandinavia.

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Sax. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Saxon.

2. Saxony.

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sax ¹ British  

/ sæks /

noun

1. a tool resembling a small axe, used for cutting roofing slate

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sax ² British  

/ sæks /

noun

1. informal short for saxophone

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Etymology

Origin of sax¹

By shortening

Origin of sax²

before 900; Middle English sexe, Old English seax, sæx; cognate with Old Norse sax ( Swedish, Danish sax scissors). See saw ¹

Example Sentences

Dr. Todd Forman is a practicing physician who went to Harvard, taught at USC, and played sax with Sublime.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

Yvonne Lanauze’s vocal is modest, but the track blossoms in the instrumental solos—Hodges’s alto sax singing with quiet poise, and Tyree Glenn’s trombone talking with emotion and eloquence, raising the whole performance to another level.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

As Les Paul said, if you’re a pianist, you’re stuck behind the piano, and if you play the sax, you can’t play and sing at the same time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Joining the group with her 10 siblings, Flores started on the sax before becoming a vocalist.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2024

He’s always off, every which way, sax in hand.

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz