axe

/ æks /

noun

1. a hand tool with one side of its head forged and sharpened to a cutting edge, used for felling trees, splitting timber, etc See also hatchet
2. an axe to grind
   1. an ulterior motive
   2. a grievance
   3. a pet subject
3. the axe informal.
   1. dismissal, esp from employment; the sack (esp in the phrase get the axe )
   2. severe cutting down of expenditure, esp the removal of unprofitable sections of a public service
4. slang.
   any musical instrument, esp a guitar or horn

verb

1. to chop or trim with an axe
2. informal.
   to dismiss (employees), restrict (expenditure or services), or terminate (a project)

Word History and Origins

Origin of axe¹

Old English æx; related to Old Frisian axa, Old High German acchus, Old Norse öx, Latin ascia, Greek axinē

Example Sentences

In 2015 he accidentally threw an axe over a wall during a Fox & Friends segment, striking a member of a nearby marching band.

From Slate

Police say Mr Abbey led them to several items he had stolen from the campsite, including an axe, guns and a cooler.

From BBC

Prosecutors say that at some point, Mr Abbey hit Mr Kjersem with a piece of wood, then stabbed him with a screwdriver and attacked him with an axe.

From BBC

McQueen gave that reality anthropological scope in “Small Axe,” the 2020 series about his West Indian community’s experiences in ’70s London.

From Los Angeles Times

Not even Sir Alex Ferguson was safe from the cuts, with Ratcliffe's decision to axe his £2m ambassadorial salary also proving controversial.

From BBC

Related Words

• consume
• crush
• damage
• dismantle
• end
• eradicate
• gut
• impair
• kill
• maim
• ravage
• raze
• ruin
• sabotage
• shatter
• smash
• smash-up
• wipe out
• wreck