axe
/æks/ (bre, ipa) · /æks/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈaks/ (ame, mw)
axe — noun
1. a heavy tool with a long handle and a sharp metal head, used for chopping wood o
a heavy tool with a long handle and a sharp metal head, used for chopping wood or bringing down trees
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
The old axe leaned by the woodpile after Granddad chopped logs for the stove.
At camp, one blunt axe lay beside the pile of logs.
文法句型
cut wood with an axe
swing an axe
axe handle
axe blade
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
2. the act of being fired from work, often suddenly or during staff cuts
the act of being fired from work, often suddenly or during staff cuts
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.
The new owner gave two drivers the axe on Monday morning.
Rumors spread fast after Lena saw her manager get the axe.
- hiring
the action of giving someone a job instead of taking it away.
文法句型
get the axe
give someone the axe
fear the axe
face the axe
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
3. the ending or sharp reduction of a service, project, event, or other planned act
the ending or sharp reduction of a service, project, event, or other planned activity
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
Because tickets sold poorly, the summer festival faced the axe.
City leaders swung the axe on two library projects.
- 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.
文法句型
get the axe
be given the axe
face the axe
swing the axe on something
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
4. a guitar, saxophone, or similar instrument, especially in musicians' casual talk
a guitar, saxophone, or similar instrument, especially in musicians' casual talk
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
On tour, Mei keeps her favorite axe in a hard case.
Everyone cheered when the singer lifted her axe above the crowd.
- 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.
文法句型
grab your axe
tune an axe
bring an axe to rehearsal
用法筆記
Common mainly among musicians and music fans, especially for guitars. It sounds playful and is not used in formal writing about instruments.
常見錯誤
axe — verb
1. to end or greatly reduce jobs, plans, payments, or services in one quick decisio
to end or greatly reduce jobs, plans, payments, or services in one quick decision
The company axed fifty jobs after the factory fire.
axe + jobs
By noon, the bank had axed free paper statements.
axe + service
County leaders axed the bridge plan before public discussion began.
To save money, the school axed late buses in winter.
文法句型
axe jobs
axe a plan
axe funding
axe a service
用法筆記
Common in headlines and spoken news when a cut sounds sudden or severe. The object is usually jobs, services, routes, payments, or plans. Distinguish from sense 2, which involves physically cutting with the tool.
常見錯誤
2. to cut or shape something by striking it with an axe
to cut or shape something by striking it with an axe
Sam axed the old stump into small pieces for the stove.
axe + object into pieces
During camp, Nora axed dry branches away from the trail.
axe + branches away
Workers axed the rough beam until it fit the doorway.
At dawn, the farmer axed frozen wood beside the shed.
- join
means putting pieces together instead of cutting them apart.
文法句型
axe wood
axe branches
axe a beam
axe a stump into pieces
用法筆記
The object is a physical thing such as wood, ice, or a beam. In everyday conversation, chop is often more common, while axe makes the tool itself more visible.