axe
Britishnoun
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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
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an ulterior motive
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a grievance
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a pet subject
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informal
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dismissal, esp from employment; the sack (esp in the phrase get the axe )
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severe cutting down of expenditure, esp the removal of unprofitable sections of a public service
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slang any musical instrument, esp a guitar or horn
verb
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to chop or trim with an axe
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informal to dismiss (employees), restrict (expenditure or services), or terminate (a project)
Etymology
Origin of axe
Old English æx; related to Old Frisian axa, Old High German acchus, Old Norse öx, Latin ascia, Greek axinē
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This includes not having suitable clothing and equipment, like crampons and an ice axe, not checking and fully understanding the weather forecast, like which wind speeds are too strong, and not navigating properly, he says.
From BBC
While always reluctant to make sweeping changes, Borthwick has not ruled out wielding the axe.
From BBC
“Aw, Daisy,” I said as I dried my face on the towel, “corn doesn’t even grow that tall. If it did, you’d have to cut the stalks down with an axe to gather the ears.”
From Literature
In addition, many staff perks, including a paid-for staff canteen, have been axed.
From BBC
Volunteers at the mosque noticed an axe inside the bag and escorted the white man into a separate room.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
