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• chain saw
  chain saw

  noun

  a power saw, usually portable, having teeth set on an endless chain.
• chain-saw
  chain-saw

  verb (used with object)

  to cut or cut down (lumber, a tree, etc.) with a chain saw.

chain saw

¹ American  

noun

1. a power saw, usually portable, having teeth set on an endless chain.

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chain-saw ² American  

[cheyn-saw] / ˈtʃeɪnˌsɔ /

Or chainsaw

verb (used with object)

1. to cut or cut down (lumber, a tree, etc.) with a chain saw.

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verb (used without object)

1. to use a chain saw.

chain saw British  

noun

1. a motor-driven saw, usually portable, in which the cutting teeth form links in a continuous chain

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Etymology

Origin of chain saw¹

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Origin of chain-saw²

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chain saw chain-saw

When A.I. took my job, I bought a chain saw.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 31, 2025

Brian Ford, accompanied by his 8-year-old son, had entered through a gate in the fence and carried a chain saw.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 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

Birdwell fired up her chain saw nearly every morning, she told me, aware that keeping the brush at bay was crucial for safety.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025

The chain saw gnaws through the oak, branches crashing to the ground.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse 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

The chain-saw has been a legendary piece of the Oregon State football experience for the past 20-plus years, and the Huskies are doing what they can to be ready for it.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2023

Skip said when every haunted house had its own chain-saw room, it became a cliche: “It got stupid, where people were using weed whackers and chasing people in the fields.”

From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2020

It appears that Gui is trying to sell his chain-saw sculptures to alien tourists.

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson