ax

or axe

[ aks ]

/ æks /

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See synonyms for ax on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ax·es

[ak-siz]. /ˈæk sɪz/.

an instrument with a bladed head on a handle or helve, used for hewing, cleaving, chopping, etc.

Jazz Slang. any musical instrument.

the ax, Informal.

dismissal from employment: to get the ax.
expulsion from school.
rejection by a lover, friend, etc.: His girlfriend gave him the ax.
any usually summary removal or curtailment.

verb (used with object), axed, ax·ing.

to shape or trim with an ax.

to chop, split, destroy, break open, etc., with an ax: The firemen had to ax the door to reach the fire.

Informal. to dismiss, restrict, or destroy brutally, as if with an ax: The main office axed those in the field who didn't meet their quota. Congress axed the budget.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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Idioms about ax

have an ax to grind, to have a personal or selfish motive: His interest may be sincere, but I suspect he has an ax to grind.

Origin of ax

before 1000; Middle English; ax(e), ex(e), Old English æx, æces; akin to Gothic aquizi,Old Norse øx, ǫx,Old High German acc(h)us, a(c)kus (German Axt), Middle High German plural exa<Germanic *akwiz-, akuz-, aksi- ≪ *ákəs, áks-;Latin ascia (<*acsiā), Greek axī́nē;<Indo-European *ag-s-

OTHER WORDS FROM ax

axlike, adjective

Other definitions for ax (2 of 3)

ax-

variant of axi-, especially before a vowel.

Other definitions for ax (3 of 3)

ax.

abbreviation

axiom.

How to use ax in a sentence

The crusty conservative battle-ax Phyllis Schlafly is giving speeches saying that Obama worships government like a god.
RFRA Madness: What’s Next for Anti-Democratic ‘Religious Exemptions’|Jay Michaelson|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One morning a few years ago, the editor left his apartment to find an ax stuck into a log on his doorstep.
The Kremlin Is Killing Echo of Moscow, Russia’s Last Independent Radio Station|Anna Nemtsova|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Kasich wields his ax much less selectively than do most of his party colleagues,” the New York Times Magazine reported in 1998.
John Kasich: The GOP’s Hobbled 2016 Dark Horse|W. James Antle III|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then, one warm summer day, Andrew and Abby were found hacked to death more than a dozen times with an ax.
Would You Stay in Lizzie Borden’s Ax-Murder House?|Nina Strochlic|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The ensuing night gave me the grand migraine of my life, with throbs like the blows of an ax and continuous pinwheels.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Victor was the younger son and brother—a tete montee, with a temper which invited violence and a will which no ax could break.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
From somewhere in the thicket below a muffled thump, thump, thump came up to them, as though some one was wielding an ax.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
The blows of the ax, off in the chaparral, were louder in their ears now, and they could hear a mumble of voices.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
Gregory picked up an ax as he stepped back, and then stood confronting the boys threateningly.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
The ax was to sever the head from the lifeless body, and all the headless trunks were to be interred together.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott

Medical definitions for ax

abbr.

axis

Other Idioms and Phrases with ax

In addition to the idiom beginning with ax

ax to grind

also see:

get the ax