axe

axe — noun

1. a heavy tool with a long handle and a sharp metal head, used for chopping wood o

1.nounB1
Definition

a heavy tool with a long handle and a sharp metal head, used for chopping wood or bringing down trees

Example

Ben kept an axe by the shed for cutting firewood.

cut wood with an axe

After the storm, Rosa used an axe to clear fallen branches.

use an axe to clear branches

Common collocations
  • axe blade
  • axe handle
  • swing an axe
  • sharpen an axe
Synonyms
  • hatchet

    a smaller axe, often used with one hand.

  • machete

    a long cutting blade mainly used for plants, not heavy chopping.

  • cleaver

    usually a kitchen chopping knife, not a long-handled tool.

Grammar Patterns

cut wood with an axe

swing an axe

axe handle

axe blade

Usage Note

Often appears with verbs like swing, sharpen, carry, and use. The shorter spelling ax is especially common in American English, but axe is also widely understood.

Common Mistakes

He cut the tree by axe.
He cut the tree with an axe.
Use with to name the tool.

2. the act of being fired from work, often suddenly or during staff cuts

2.nounB2
Definition

the act of being fired from work, often suddenly or during staff cuts

Example

Three editors got the axe after the newspaper lost advertisers.

get the axe = lose a job

When sales fell again, Ilya feared he would get the axe.

Common collocations
  • get the axe
  • give someone the axe
  • fear the axe
  • face the axe
Synonyms
  • firing

    a direct everyday word for making someone leave a job.

  • dismissal

    more formal and common in business or legal contexts.

  • layoff

    often used when job cuts happen for business reasons rather than personal fault.

Antonyms
  • hiring

    the action of giving someone a job instead of taking it away.

Grammar Patterns

get the axe

give someone the axe

fear the axe

face the axe

Usage Note

Usually appears in fixed phrases such as get the axe or give someone the axe. This sense is about a person losing a job; sense 3 is about a plan or service being stopped.

Common Mistakes

The worker got axe yesterday.
The worker got the axe yesterday.
The phrase normally needs the.
My brother lost the axe last week.
My brother got the axe last week.
Use get the axe for losing a job.

3. the ending or sharp reduction of a service, project, event, or other planned act

3.nounB2
Definition

the ending or sharp reduction of a service, project, event, or other planned activity

Example

The night bus got the axe when the town cut transport costs.

service gets the axe

Parents protested after the music program was given the axe.

be given the axe

Common collocations
  • get the axe
  • face the axe
  • swing the axe
  • budget axe
Synonyms
  • cancellation

    a neutral word for something being called off.

  • cutback

    focuses on reducing size or money, not always ending something fully.

  • closure

    used especially when a service, building, or organization stops operating.

Antonyms
  • launch

    starting a project or service instead of stopping it.

  • expansion

    making something larger instead of reducing it.

Grammar Patterns

get the axe

be given the axe

face the axe

swing the axe on something

Usage Note

The subject is usually a plan, route, service, budget item, or event rather than a person. Distinguish from sense 2, which refers to someone being dismissed from a job.

Common Mistakes

The concert lost the axe.
The concert got the axe.
Use get the axe when something is cancelled.
The city gave the axe the train line.
The city gave the train line the axe.
Put the thing being cut before the axe in this pattern.

4. a guitar, saxophone, or similar instrument, especially in musicians' casual talk

4.nounC2
Definition

a guitar, saxophone, or similar instrument, especially in musicians' casual talk

Example

After sound check, Diego grabbed his axe and ran onstage.

musician slang for an instrument

The jazz teacher tuned his axe before the club doors opened.

tune an axe

Common collocations
  • grab your axe
  • tune your axe
  • favorite axe
  • bring an axe to rehearsal
Synonyms
  • guitar

    the most common specific instrument called an axe.

  • saxophone

    also possible, especially in jazz talk.

  • instrument

    a general neutral word without the slang tone.

Grammar Patterns

grab your axe

tune an axe

bring an axe to rehearsal

Usage Note

Common mainly among musicians and music fans, especially for guitars. It sounds playful and is not used in formal writing about instruments.

Common Mistakes

The school bought ten axes for the band room.
The school bought ten guitars for the band room.
In normal speech, use the instrument name, not this slang word.
Idioms

have an axe to grind

idiom

To have a personal or selfish reason for getting involved in a situation or supporting a particular opinion.

Maya joined the committee because she had an axe to grind about school funding.

Does Brian have an axe to grind, or is he genuinely trying to help?

axe — verb

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun sense 1, an axe is a heavy long-handled tool for strong chopping, especially when you cut logs or bring down a tree. A hatchet is smaller and lighter, so it suits one-handed jobs or camping tasks. A machete has a long blade and is mainly used for cutting plants, tall grass, or thin branches rather than splitting thick wood. A saw is different because it cuts with a toothed edge moving back and forth, not with heavy blows. So you swing an axe at a log, carry a hatchet on a hike, clear jungle with a machete, and use a saw for neat straight cuts.

axe ↗hatchetmachetesaw

Common collocations

Phrases

  • get the axe

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Axe is a very old English word. It comes from Old English aex, from an earlier Germanic word for the same cutting tool. Over time, English kept the basic meaning, while the shorter spelling ax became especially common in American English.