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

The landscape has been transformed since the failure of Google Glass, the search company’s early foray into smart glasses that was axed in 2015.

From Barron's

The small crack in the hull that still needs repair, that I made wider by smashing Nate’s axe into it, is rapidly gulping up the cold, dark water of the lake.

From Literature

When she asks about Jacobs being axed from the brand, he reveals that it’s not entirely true, but that it is an account he enjoys playing up and going along with.

From Salon

“Wolf Pack” was axed by Paramount+ in early 2024 after just one season.

From Salon

The future Peaches eventually strapped on an electric axe, then found she could do everything a band could do by herself, using electronics.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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