ax 1 of 2

variants or axe
as in dismissal
the termination of the employment of an employee or a work force often temporarily the company was hemorrhaging money, so 700 employees would soon be given the ax

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ax

2 of 2

verb

variants or axe

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ax
Noun
Tulsa King Season 3 has added Kevin Pollak (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) in the series-regular role of Special Agent Musso, an FBI agent who has an axe to grind, our sister site Variety reports. Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 5 May 2025 Defense & National Security The Big Story Hegseth wants to take axe to top military brass Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants the number of active-duty four-star generals and admirals in the U.S. military to be cut by at least 20 percent. Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 5 May 2025
Verb
The school also axed the Asian-Pacific Forum Club, The Contemporary Cultural Affairs Seminar Club, The Japanese Forum Club, The Korean-American Relations Seminar, The Latin Cultural Club, The Native American Heritage Forum and The Vietnamese-American Cadet Association. Brianna Keilar, CNN Money, 22 May 2025 And Todd Blanche, who has been hired to replace Perlmutter’s boss Carla Hayden as Librarian of Congress (also just axed by Trump), is helping lead the Justice Department’s case against Google over the company’s dominance in search. Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for ax
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ax
Noun
  • Despite the low scoring, United fans would ideally like to give Amorim time to reshape the squad to his liking, rather than call for his immediate dismissal.
    Carl Anka, New York Times, 7 June 2025
  • His dismissal — and that of several other judges whom President Trump brought in in his first term in office — sparked immediate GOP outrage and claims of political interference.
    Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • Paulo Fonseca was sacked in December, while the end of the season saw the club decide to end Sergio Conceicao’s tenure after an eighth-place finish.
    Adam Digby, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
  • Former Porto head coach Conceicao was sacked after just five months in charge on Thursday following a disappointing eighth place finish in Serie A that saw the club miss out on European qualification for 2025-26.
    James Horncastle, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • Hiring freezes, furloughs and layoffs may seem dramatic for a city that only a few short years ago had 16% fiscal reserves, but taking action today will forestall more dramatic cuts should the economy take a turn for the worse.
    The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 23 May 2025
  • Layoffs, furloughs and a declining business outlook may reduce household income.
    Catherine Brock, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Verb
  • Forensic evidence found at the scene indicated both brothers fired a weapon.
    Melissa Noel, Essence, 28 May 2025
  • Data displayed on SpaceX's live broadcast of the launch showed all 33 of the rocket's engines fired normally during its initial ascent from Texas, a reassuring sign for the reliability of the Super Heavy booster.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • So everybody that's in the United States, and in this case in Puerto Rico, without an immigration status, needs to be removed or deported.
    Adrian Florido, NPR, 2 June 2025
  • The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sent a licensed trapper to remove the injured alligator, officials said.
    Mark Price, Miami Herald, 2 June 2025
Verb
  • Despite seeking help from her local GP, her concerns were initially dismissed.
    Ashley Vega, People.com, 6 June 2025
  • The lawsuit sparked a years-long legal battle that was ultimately voluntarily dismissed in late 2022.
    Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • Walmart is also terminating some of its employees in Florida and Texas, Bloomberg reported, after a Supreme Court ruling allowed the Trump administration to end temporary protections for certain migrant groups.
    Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
  • Last year, officials agreed to terminate an agreement with the Sweetwater Union School District that had given the public access to Mar Vista’s swimming pool.
    Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • On May 29, a day after Todd and Julie were released from their forever prisons, Savannah shared an Instagram Reel with multiple selfies of herself and her father shopping together.
    Stephanie Wenger, People.com, 3 June 2025
  • An Arizona murderer was sentenced to life plus 10 years in prison on May 27 after killing a second person only 16 days after he was released in 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona.
    Christina Shaw, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ax.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ax. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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