ax

¹

or axe

[ aks ]

noun

, plural ax·es [ak, -siz].

1. an instrument with a bladed head on a handle or helve, used for hewing, cleaving, chopping, etc.
2. Jazz Slang. any musical instrument.
3. the ax, Informal.
   1. dismissal from employment:

      to get the ax.

   2. expulsion from school.
   3. rejection by a lover, friend, etc.:

      His girlfriend gave him the ax.

   4. any usually summary removal or curtailment.

verb (used with object)

, axed, ax·ing.

1. to shape or trim with an ax.
2. to chop, split, destroy, break open, etc., with an ax:

   The firemen had to ax the door to reach the fire.

3. Informal. to dismiss, restrict, or destroy brutally, as if with an ax:

   The main office axed those in the field who didn't meet their quota. Congress axed the budget.

ax-

²

1. variant of axi-, especially before a vowel.

ax.

³

abbreviation for

1. axiom.

Other Words From

• axlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ax¹

before 1000; Middle English; ax ( e ), ex ( e ), Old English æx, æces; akin to Gothic aquizi, Old Norse øx, ǫx, Old High German acc ( h ) us, a ( c ) kus ( German Axt ), Middle High German plural exa < Germanic *akwiz-, akuz-, aksi- ≪ *ákəs, áks-; Latin ascia (< *acsiā ), Greek axī́nē; < Indo-European *ag-s-

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. have an ax to grind, to have a personal or selfish motive:

   His interest may be sincere, but I suspect he has an ax to grind.

More idioms and phrases containing ax

In addition to the idiom beginning with ax , also see get the ax .

Example Sentences

Trump is unlikely to ax a program that will produce economic benefits across the country, in congressional districts red and blue.

From Los Angeles Times

Even worse, Kalmus said, Trump and his economic adviser Tesla CEO Elon Musk are going to take the ax to countless unrelated science initiatives that run afoul of their political positions.

From Salon

At one point, he chases her with an ax.

From Los Angeles Times

The intricate hand-drawn image featured a kneeling samurai-style warrior holding a double-headed ax and a shield emblazoned with a skull and the letters CPT.

From Los Angeles Times

That August, McGuire was captured on camera destroying Alvarez’s fruit stand with an ax.

From Los Angeles Times