hacksaw

American  

[hak-saw] / ˈhækˌsɔ /

Or hack saw

noun

• hacksaws
  plural

1. a saw for cutting metal, consisting typically of a narrow, fine-toothed blade fixed in a frame.

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hacksaw British  

/ ˈhækˌsɔː /

noun

1. a handsaw for cutting metal, with a hard-steel blade in a frame under tension

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verb

1. (tr) to cut with a hacksaw

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hacksaws
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hacksaw

First recorded in 1645–55; hack ¹ + saw ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hacksaw hacksaws

A simple handsaw, such as a hacksaw or coping saw, should work fine.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 22, 2021

He was sort of the go-between, but he had no idea—at least he claims he had no idea—that there were actual hacksaw blades.

From Slate ● Nov. 23, 2018

At one point, she picks up a hacksaw, which she uses to separate the hindquarters from the rest of the carcass.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 2017

Snares, a hacksaw blade, seeds, silica packs and oxidizer to reduce the effects of moisture.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 2, 2017

I had no hacksaw to cut it into smaller pieces, and I was not strong enough to heat it and hammer it apart.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

In order to find them, cops strapped on Hurst hydraulic rescue tools, hacksaws, axes, pry bars, sledgehammers, and hundreds of feet of rope.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2016

The hacksaws were hidden in frozen hamburger — Mr. Matt told guards it was for goulash — and transported in an envelope that also contained tubes of paint.

From New York Times ● Jul. 28, 2015

The boards were used to hide currency of the enemy country, silk maps and minute files and hacksaws.

From Forbes ● Oct. 10, 2011

Others went to work, tending to downed trees with chainsaws, machetes and hacksaws.

From New York Times ● May 23, 2011

Mostly things like hacksaws and an electric drill, and a circular scar where a blowtorch had been sitting.

From Highways in Hiding by George Oliver Smith