An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
First recorded in 1955–60
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The chain saw success working with Paramount Pictures on a SpongeBob menu released in December, featuring items like a Krabby Whopper with a bright yellow bun and a Patrick Star-themed strawberry shortcake pie.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
When A.I. took my job, I bought a chain saw.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 31, 2025
Milei’s post-midterms victory speech kindled hope for less chain saw and more coalition building over the next two years, Stock says.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2025
Outside, he posed for selfies and held a 6-foot-long spurtle carved with a chain saw by local artist Alice Buttress and painted gold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2025
I want to really get that movement of his elbows and wrists, the way he knew how to wield a chain saw.
From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson
In the chain-saw paradigm, the scariest monster is the one born in your own backyard.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2024
He learned that chain-saw topping was the best way to have a rotting, standing dead tree after a couple of decades, especially if the topped tree had minimal live branches left in in place.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2024
“I would defer to milder disinfectants and cleaners, rather than going to the chain-saw version of a cleaner,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 24, 2020
Remember, we’re talking about an area where a chain-saw manufacturer bought the London Bridge and had it shipped over to provide a crossing over desert sand.
From Golf Digest ● Mar. 30, 2020
Colin listened to people who wanted to make a living with chain-saw sculpture or teaching elementary school.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
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.
