ax

or axe

[ aks ]

/ æks /

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Definition of ax

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.

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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

Marlow: I think that season finale episodes are tough, and a few of those threads definitely should have been axed.
‘Orange Is the New Black’: Inside the Wild S2 Finale and What’s Next for Season 3|Kevin Fallon, Marlow Stern|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In fact, he has axed the sub-group of the project that was slated to work on the cognitive level.
The Science Community’s Fight Over an Artificial Brain|Elizabeth Picciuto|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was bad enough that veterans, theatre critic Michael Feingold and food critic Robert Sietsema were both axed.
'The Village Voice' Was Crazy to Fire Him: 5 Reasons Why Michael Musto Matters|Tricia Romano|May 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Since May 2010, the public sector has axed 1.125 million jobs.
Jobs Report: Don’t Panic Yet—the Numbers Will (Probably) Be Revised Up|Daniel Gross|April 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Fox also axed Dick Morris, who repeatedly predicted that Mitt Romney would beat Obama in an electoral landslide.
Roger Ailes Couldn’t Care Less What You Think About His Obama Comments|Howard Kurtz|March 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He knows I've got a still over hyeh as well as you do—an' he's never axed a question nor peeped an eye.
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine|John Fox, Jr.
I made-b'lieve as you were to be tried next week, and I axed him to come to the trial.
Sue, A Little Heroine|L. T. Meade
I'm goin' to-neet, because I dunnot want to be axed questions.
That Lass O' Lowrie's|Frances Hodgson Burnett
"Oh, I fort yu axed dat ar boy who made him," she answered with a broad smile.
The Broken Sword|Dennison Worthington
I axed master, if soe bee he knowed sitch a man as one Captain Tomlinson?
Clarissa, Volume 6 (of 9)|Samuel Richardson

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