- a variation of ax.
axe
Britishnoun
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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
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an ulterior motive
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a grievance
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a pet subject
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informal
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dismissal, esp from employment; the sack (esp in the phrase get the axe )
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severe cutting down of expenditure, esp the removal of unprofitable sections of a public service
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slang any musical instrument, esp a guitar or horn
verb
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to chop or trim with an axe
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Grateful to pick up the axe, and honored by the fans who made this story legendary.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Ole Miss is far from the only institution with an axe to grind with Kiffin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Both Urbanova and Ingbretson are fuelled by the love of competing and train all year - lifting weights, jogging, doing other cardio and refining their axe skills.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The letters and photographs sold for £48,640 at auction, while the ice axe fetched £38,400.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Over by a large fireplace was an axe with threads of bronze etched around the handle.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
