ax

ax — noun

1. A hand tool built from a heavy metal cutting head fitted onto a long handle, use

1.nounB1
Definition

A hand tool built from a heavy metal cutting head fitted onto a long handle, used for splitting logs and chopping down trees.

Example

Feng used an ax to chop the fallen tree into pieces for firewood.

collocation: chop wood / split logs with an ax

The old iron ax was too blunt to split the wooden logs in half.

Common collocations
  • sharp ax
  • heavy ax
  • swing an ax
  • split wood with an ax
  • chop with an ax
Synonyms

2. A situation where a person is told to leave their job, usually because their emp

2.nounB2
Definition

A situation where a person is told to leave their job, usually because their employer no longer needs them or is reducing the number of workers.

Example

After the company lost money, fifty factory workers got the ax.

informal expression: get the ax = be fired

Kwame was worried he might get the ax when the new manager took charge.

Common collocations
  • get the ax
  • give someone the ax
Synonyms
  • be sacked

    British English informal equivalent

  • be fired

    more general and slightly more formal

Antonyms
  • be hired

    the opposite process of getting a job

  • be promoted

    moving to a better position instead of losing one

Usage Note

Almost always used in the phrase 'get the ax' or 'give someone the ax.' Not used in formal contexts; use 'be laid off' or 'be dismissed' instead.

Common Mistakes

He got an ax from his boss' (meaning fired).
He got the ax from his boss.
Use 'the,' not 'an,' because this is a fixed phrase.

3. The sudden stopping, removal, or large reduction of a service, project, or plann

3.nounB2
Definition

The sudden stopping, removal, or large reduction of a service, project, or planned activity, usually because of a lack of money or a change in priorities.

Example

The school's music program got the ax because of the budget cuts.

expression: [program/service] + got the ax

City officials gave the new bridge project the ax after the cost report.

Common collocations
  • get the ax
  • give something the ax
  • program gets the ax
  • project gets the ax
Synonyms
  • cut

    more general; can be partial, not necessarily sudden

  • scrapped

    more formal; implies complete abandonment of a plan

Antonyms

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2 (GETTING FIRED). Sense 3 applies to things (services, plans, budgets), not to people. Sense 2 applies only to people losing their jobs.

4. In casual music speech, 'ax' means the instrument a performer uses in a show, ty

4.nounC1
Definition

In casual music speech, 'ax' means the instrument a performer uses in a show, typically a stringed electric instrument or a brass wind instrument commonly heard in jazz.

Example

The guitarist pulled out his ax and played a long blues solo.

slang: ax = electric guitar

Eitan saved money for months to buy a vintage ax from the music shop.

Common collocations
  • vintage ax
  • electric ax
  • play an ax
  • bring out the ax
Synonyms

Usage Note

This sense is very informal and is mostly used by musicians or people who follow music closely. It is less common in everyday speech.

ax — abbreviation

Word family

  • axe
    nounB1
  • axman
    nounC1
  • axhead
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

An ax is a large tool with a long handle and a heavy blade, used with two hands to chop or split wood. A hatchet is a smaller version of the same tool, designed for one-handed use, and is often used for lighter tasks like cutting small branches or splitting kindling. A saw, by contrast, has a toothed blade that cuts by moving back and forth, rather than by swinging. The British spelling 'axe' refers to the exact same tool. For example, a lumberjack uses an ax to fell a large tree, and later uses a hatchet to break the branches into smaller pieces.

ax ↗hatchetsawaxe (British)

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • get the ax
  • give someone the ax
  • give something the ax
  • swing an ax

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'ax' comes from Old English 'æx,' which goes back to the same Proto-Germanic root '*akusi.' This root is shared by German 'Axt,' Dutch 'bijl' (though unrelated), and Old Norse 'öx.' The spelling 'axe' has been the standard in British English for centuries, while 'ax' is more common in American English. The slang use for musical instruments dates from the mid-20th century jazz scene, where saxophonists and later guitarists called their instruments 'axes.'