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

Noun Inflected Forms

• pickaxes
  plural

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pickax pickaxes pickaxed pickaxing

“I’ve had to undergo the pickax every time I go to the hygienist, and get ticked off.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

He first flattened the hillside lot, breaking up dirt with a pickax and moving it until it was even enough to plant trees and park his ambulance.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2024

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

As the sun began to set Monday, Kris Pflugh of Chewack Wildfire was using a pickax to pull up hot ash and dirt, exposing orange embers.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 19, 2022

“Makes sense,” said Jake, who was carrying the pickax.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

Near the central village of Baziafla, flanked by tall grass, the pit was excavated over several weeks with spades, pickaxes and crushers, before the miners were driven out of town by the local authorities.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Armed with pickaxes and shovels, they have been sifting through the soil in scenes reminiscent of the gold rush that helped built South Africa's financial capital more than a century ago.

From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026

So instead of getting swept away by the narrative, I just settled in to enjoy the details: hammerhead sharks twisted into pickaxes, ships that scuttle like crabs, the drama of an underwater scream: “Guh-glurrgggh!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2025

The store offers everything from basic tools to pan for gold in the river, such as pickaxes and scoops, to pinpointers and high-tech metal detectors that can cost thousands of dollars.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2025

Led by brother David Fox, a troop of men carrying shovels and pickaxes descended the stairs to dig up the peddler’s body.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Then it happened — Harrington, wreathed in Druidic smoke, hoisted his guitar above his head and pickaxed his instrument into the guts of the 12-foot mirror, shattering it into oblivion.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 22, 2021

I asked him if it was true that he'd pickaxed his own furniture to get revellers out of his home.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 20, 2013

Day and night they chipped and hacked, pickaxed and burrowed deeper, uncovering whitened bones by the ton while the deranged clergyman rambled about, frothing like a lunatic.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

In the field the previous spring he had accompanied the expedition beyond the "Big Lead" to 84° 29', and with the strength of his broad shoulders he had pickaxed the way.

From A Negro Explorer at the North Pole by Booker T. Washington

After the single shot of the big rifle was fired, he had only a knife and a hatchet and the spiked and pickaxed ice-staff, and Brave.

From The Keeper by H. Beam Piper

The Esquire Network is not exactly pickaxing into virgin ground as it debuts a travel show, a cooking show, a style show, and a show about real estate.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2013

No, they were all at work," said the other, "but they were pickaxing the rock in a listless sort of way that I recognized at once.

From The Boy With the U. S. Life-Savers by Francis Rolt-Wheeler

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