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

Rangers were sitting eighth in the Scottish Premiership, 11 points behind leaders Heart of Midlothian, and had failed to qualify for the league phase of the Champions League when former Southampton boss Martin was axed.

Read more on BBC

For years its Focus model was the UK's most-popular, but the US company axed the hatchback and the last Ford Focus rolled off factory lines in Germany last week.

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When the show was axed mere days before production was set to begin, Brooks took it as a sign that her dream was dead.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They beat their axe handles against their meaty hands.

Read more on Literature

He made himself chairman of the boards of Fannie and Freddie, axed directors and executives and installed new leaders, some with little to no known experience in mortgage finance.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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