Showing results for "axe"

• a variation of ax.

axe

British  

/ 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

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verb

1. to chop or trim with an axe

2. 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

A viral video showing the 12-year-old holding a knife and axe was highlighted at the time by Elon Musk, who criticised the girl's arrest for "trying to defend herself."

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026

The corporation has said it is looking to axe up to 2,000 jobs as it tries to reduce costs by 10 percent over the next three years.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

Still, this could reverse if hiring slows or jobs face the axe due to lingering uncertainty, while the ECB already expects wage growth to cool this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Finally, things get going with a funeral — I won’t say whose, only that the death makes a fitting twist for an industry already getting the axe.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

‘The words of this wizard stand on their heads,’ he growled, gripping the handle of his axe.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

Related Words

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