sax

¹ American  

[saks] / sæks /

noun

Informal.

1. saxophone.

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sax ² American  

[saks] / sæks /

noun

1. a short, single-edged sword of ancient Scandinavia.

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Sax. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Saxon.

2. Saxony.

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sax ¹ British  

/ sæks /

noun

1. a tool resembling a small axe, used for cutting roofing slate

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sax ² British  

/ sæks /

noun

1. informal short for saxophone

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Etymology

Origin of sax¹

By shortening

Origin of sax²

before 900; Middle English sexe, Old English seax, sæx; cognate with Old Norse sax ( Swedish, Danish sax scissors). See saw ¹

Example Sentences

Yvonne Lanauze’s vocal is modest, but the track blossoms in the instrumental solos—Hodges’s alto sax singing with quiet poise, and Tyree Glenn’s trombone talking with emotion and eloquence, raising the whole performance to another level.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

As Les Paul said, if you’re a pianist, you’re stuck behind the piano, and if you play the sax, you can’t play and sing at the same time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

“Even after fifty years, the memory of what it took to record the sax solo to ‘Jungleland’ makes his eyes widen and his mouth drop open,” Carlin writes.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2025

“If you added a sax solo, for example, it’d be one element too far. You might as well put on a waistcoat and go home.”

From BBC • Aug. 20, 2024

When the second line is played by an alto sax player, the result sounds like the first line.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones