axe

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

axe¹

or ax (ăks)

n. pl. ax·es (ăk′sĭz)

1. A tool with a bladed, usually heavy head mounted crosswise on a handle, used for felling trees or chopping wood.

2. Any of various bladed, handheld implements used as a cutting tool or weapon.

3. Informal A sudden termination of employment: My colleague got the axe yesterday.

4. Slang A musical instrument, especially a guitar.

tr.v. axed, ax·ing, ax·es

1. To chop or fell with or as if with an axe: axed down the saplings; axed out a foothold in the ice.

2. Informal To remove ruthlessly or suddenly: a social program that was axed to effectuate budget cuts.

Idiom:

axe to grind

A selfish or ulterior aim: He claimed to be disinterested, but I knew he had an axe to grind.

[Middle English, from Old English æx.]

axe²

(ăks) Nonstandard

Variant of ax².

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

axe

(æks) or

ax

n, pl axes

1. (Tools) 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

a. an ulterior motive

b. a grievance

c. a pet subject

3. (Commerce) dismissal, esp from employment; the sack (esp in the phrase get the axe)

4. (Industrial Relations & HR Terms) dismissal, esp from employment; the sack (esp in the phrase get the axe)

5. (Industrial Relations & HR Terms) Brit severe cutting down of expenditure, esp the removal of unprofitable sections of a public service

6. (Instruments) slang US any musical instrument, esp a guitar or horn

vb (tr)

7. to chop or trim with an axe

8. informal to dismiss (employees), restrict (expenditure or services), or terminate (a project)

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

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

axe

Past participle: axed
Gerund: axing

Imperative
axe
axe

Present
I axe
you axe
he/she/it axes
we axe
you axe
they axe

Preterite
I axed
you axed
he/she/it axed
we axed
you axed
they axed

Present Continuous
I am axing
you are axing
he/she/it is axing
we are axing
you are axing
they are axing

Present Perfect
I have axed
you have axed
he/she/it has axed
we have axed
you have axed
they have axed

Past Continuous
I was axing
you were axing
he/she/it was axing
we were axing
you were axing
they were axing

Past Perfect
I had axed
you had axed
he/she/it had axed
we had axed
you had axed
they had axed

Future
I will axe
you will axe
he/she/it will axe
we will axe
you will axe
they will axe

Future Perfect
I will have axed
you will have axed
he/she/it will have axed
we will have axed
you will have axed
they will have axed

Future Continuous
I will be axing
you will be axing
he/she/it will be axing
we will be axing
you will be axing
they will be axing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been axing
you have been axing
he/she/it has been axing
we have been axing
you have been axing
they have been axing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been axing
you will have been axing
he/she/it will have been axing
we will have been axing
you will have been axing
they will have been axing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been axing
you had been axing
he/she/it had been axing
we had been axing
you had been axing
they had been axing

Conditional
I would axe
you would axe
he/she/it would axe
we would axe
you would axe
they would axe

Past Conditional
I would have axed
you would have axed
he/she/it would have axed
we would have axed
you would have axed
they would have axed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	axe - an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle ax ax handle, axe handle - the handle of an ax ax head, axe head - the cutting head of an ax blade - the flat part of a tool or weapon that (usually) has a cutting edge broadax, broadaxe - a large ax with a broad cutting blade common ax, common axe, Dayton ax, Dayton axe - an ax with a long handle and a head that has one cutting edge and one blunt side double-bitted ax, double-bitted axe, Western ax, Western axe - an ax that has cutting edges on both sides of the head edge tool - any cutting tool with a sharp cutting edge (as a chisel or knife or plane or gouge) fireman's ax, fireman's axe - an ax that has a long handle and a head with one cutting edge and a point on the other side haft, helve - the handle of a weapon or tool hatchet - a small ax with a short handle used with one hand (usually to chop wood) ice ax, ice axe, piolet - an ax used by mountain climbers for cutting footholds in ice poleax, poleaxe - an ax used to slaughter cattle; has a hammer opposite the blade
Verb	1.	axe - chop or split with an ax; "axe wood" ax hack, chop - cut with a hacking tool
	2.	axe - terminate; "The NSF axed the research program and stopped funding it" ax terminate, end - bring to an end or halt; "She ended their friendship when she found out that he had once been convicted of a crime"; "The attack on Poland terminated the relatively peaceful period after WW I"

axe

noun

1. hatchet, chopper, tomahawk, cleaver, adze She took an axe and wrecked the car.

verb

1. (Informal) abandon, end, pull, eliminate, cancel, scrap, wind up, turn off (informal), relegate, cut back, terminate, dispense with, discontinue, pull the plug on Community projects are being axed by the government.

2. (Informal) dismiss, fire (informal), sack (informal), remove, get rid of, discharge, throw out, oust, give (someone) their marching orders, give the boot to (slang), give the bullet to (Brit. slang), give the push to, give someone his or her P45 (informal) She was axed by the Edinburgh club in October after her comments about a referee.

an axe to grind pet subject, grievance, ulterior motive, private purpose, personal consideration, private ends I've got no axe to grind with him.

the axe (Informal) the sack (informal), dismissal, discharge, wind-up, the boot (slang), cancellation, cutback, termination, the chop (slang), the (old) heave-ho (informal), the order of the boot (slang) one of the four doctors facing the axe

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

بَلْطَةفَأسيَتَخَلَّص مِنيُخَفِّض النَّفَقات

sekyraomezitpropustitredukovatsekera

økse

Axt Beil Korb rücksichtslos kürzen Streitaxt

τσεκούρι

hacha

kirvesraiumasõjakirves

kirvespotkurukkanensotakirveskenkä

hache cognée mettre à pied sabre sabrer

גרזן

sjekira

baltafejszeleszállítszekerce

öxisegja uppskera niîur

ascia accetta avere un interesse personale ridurre scarto

斧

도끼

asciasecuris

apkarpytiatleistikirvissumažinti

cirvissamazinātapcirptatlaist

bijl

øks si opp skjære ned på stridsøks gi sparken

siekiera topór

machado

топор секира

sekera

sekiraodpustitioklestiti

sekiraсекира

yxastridsyxa

ขวาน

baltakısıntı yapmakkısmakkovmak atmak

rìu

减少削减斧斧子解雇

axe

ax (US) [æks]

A. N (= tool) → hacha f
when the axe fell → cuando se descargó el golpe
to have an axe to grind → tener un interés creado
I have no axe to grind → no tengo ningún interés personal
to get or be given the axe [employee] → ser despedido; [project] → ser cancelado

B. VT [+ budget] → recortar; [+ project, service] → cancelar; [+ jobs] → reducir; [+ staff] → despedir

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

axe

[ˈæks] (British) ax (US)

n → hache f
to have an axe to grind (fig) → agir par intérêt, prêcher pour son saint

vt [+ employee] → renvoyer; [+ project] → abandonner; [+ jobs] → supprimer

axe

, (US) ax

n → Axt f, → Beil nt; (fig) → (radikale) Kürzung; to wield the axe on something (fig) → etw radikal kürzen; to get or be given the axe (employee) → abgesägt werden; (project) → eingestellt werden; the axe has fallen on the project → das Projekt ist dem Rotstift zum Opfer gefallen; to have an/no axe to grind (fig) → ein/kein persönliches Interesse haben; axe murderer → Axtmörder(in) m(f)

vt plans, projects, jobs → streichen; person → entlassen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

axe

ax (Am) [æks]

1. n → ascia, scure f
to have an axe to grind (fig) → fare i propri interessi or il proprio tornaconto

2. vt (fig) (expenditure) → ridurre drasticamente; (person) → liquidare (per ragioni economiche); (project) → annullare; (jobs) → sopprimere

axe

(ӕks) (American) ax noun

a tool with a (long) handle and a metal blade for cutting down trees and cutting wood etc into pieces.

verb

1. to get rid of; to dismiss. They've axed 50% of their staff.

2. to reduce (costs, services etc). Government spending in education has been axed.

axe

→ بَلْطَة sekyra økse Beil τσεκούρι hacha kirves hache sjekira ascia 斧 도끼 bijl øks siekiera machado топор yxa ขวาน balta rìu 斧子

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

A WORKMAN, felling wood by the side of a river, let his axe drop - by accident into a deep pool.

View in context

One of the big trees had been partly chopped through, and standing beside it, with an uplifted axe in his hands, was a man made entirely of tin.

The Tin Woodman gave a sigh of satisfaction and lowered his axe, which he leaned against the tree.

View in context

He unbuttoned his coat and freed the axe from the noose, but did not yet take it out altogether, simply holding it in his right hand under the coat.

He pulled the axe quite out, swung it with both arms, scarcely conscious of himself, and almost without effort, almost mechanically, brought the blunt side down on her head.

View in context

"Ah!" cried Umslopogaas, "you sought a youth to slay him, and have found an axe to be slain by it!

Then Umslopogaas spoke to Galazi, saying: "My brother, I will fight no more with the spear, but with the axe alone; it was to seek an axe that I ran to and fro like a coward.

View in context

There he stood, the great Dane, for he was nothing else, his hands, his axe, and his armour all red with blood, and none could live before his stroke.

I am ready now!" and he stepped forward and lifted his axe.

View in context

Then she gave him an axe made of glass, and bade him cross the bridge of clouds and go into the wood beyond and cut down all the trees there before sunset.

View in context

A FORESTRY Commissioner had just felled a giant tree when, seeing an honest man approaching, he dropped his axe and fled.

View in context

Then, swinging his axe in a great circle to right and left before him, he advanced upon the gate, and the others followed him without hesitation.

View in context