View synonyms for ax

ax

or axe

[ aks ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural ax·es [ak, -siz].

an instrument with a bladed head on a handle or helve, used for hewing, cleaving, chopping, etc.
Jazz Slang. any musical instrument.
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.

to shape or trim with an ax.
to chop, split, destroy, break open, etc., with an ax:
The firemen had to ax the door to reach the fire.
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-

variant of axi-, especially before a vowel.

ax.

abbreviation for

axiom.

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Other Words From

axlike adjective

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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-

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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 .

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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