ax
A tool used to chop wood.
A tool with a heavy metal blade on a handle, used for chopping wood or cutting down trees.
To decide to stop something or remove it.
To stop, cancel, or remove something, especially suddenly or as a cost-cutting or simplifying decision.
To make someone lose their job.
To dismiss someone from a job; to fire someone.
A guitar (musician slang).
A musical instrument, especially a guitar (and sometimes a saxophone), referred to in musician slang.
To ask (dialect).
To ask (used in some dialects and represented in informal writing).
- Base: ax
- Plural: axes
- Base: ax
- 3rd Person Singular: axes
- Present Participle: axing
- Past: axed
an ax to grind
1a hidden selfish motive
A private reason that makes you biased.
- He claims it’s about safety, but I think he has an ax to grind.
- Be careful with that review—she may have an ax to grind with the company.
- I don’t have an ax to grind; I just want the facts.
ax out
1remove something completely
To remove something.
- They axed out the last section because it was too long.
- We may need to ax out a few items from the schedule.
- The director axed out several scenes before the final cut.
ax the fat
1cut unnecessary costs or parts
To cut unnecessary things to save money or time.
- The new CEO promised to ax the fat and focus on core products.
- They axed the fat from the budget by renegotiating contracts.
- We need to ax the fat from this process—it’s wasting time.
get the ax
1be fired from a job
To lose your job because you are fired.
- If sales don’t improve, a lot of people could get the ax.
- After the merger, several managers got the ax.
- He worried he’d get the ax after missing the deadline.
- He got the ax.
give someone the ax
1fire someone from a job
To fire someone.
- The company gave him the ax after repeated complaints.
- They gave several contractors the ax to cut costs.
- The coach gave the ax to two assistants mid-season.
- They gave him the ax.
take an ax to
1damage or cut drastically
To cut or damage something a lot.
- They took an ax to the budget and eliminated several programs.
- Someone took an ax to the front door during the break-in.
- The editor took an ax to the article and cut two pages.