pickax

American  

[pik-aks] / ˈpɪkˌæks /

Or pickaxe

noun

pickaxes plural

1. a pick, especially a mattock.

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verb (used with object)

pickaxed, pickaxing

1. to cut or clear away with a pickax.

verb (used without object)

pickaxed, pickaxing

1. to use a pickax.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• pickaxes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pickax

1275–1325; pick ² + ax; replacing Middle English picois < Middle French, Old French; akin to French pic pick ². See pique ¹

Example Sentences

Don’t laugh: The labor secretary’s own lawyers, when pressed at oral argument, couldn’t rule out that a pickax used for mining remains a “mine” even when transported 5,000 miles from any extraction site.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

Johnson's rumpled delivery extends the mileage of what becomes an extended joke that stops being funny after a point, which is Doug's knack for sniffing out goldmines but just missing the X with his pickax.

From Salon • Jul. 21, 2023

After the crash, the driver, who authorities believe was a temporary resident of the neighborhood, left the car and ran to a nearby home, where he got a pickax, said Deputy Mike Woodroof.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2023

Her DNA was found on a pickax on Daybell’s property, according to testimony from a forensic investigator.

From Seattle Times • May 10, 2023

We found a shovel and pickax at an abandoned farm and spent just about every free minute digging a hole.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls