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
The coach who continues to escape the axe did so again. Noah White, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025 Highbrow, lowbrow, and everything in-between, Shudder’s marathon birthday party from 2025 should be remembered like an axe to the forehead. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
Battery storage systems, which are emissions-free energy sources, are also facing opposition; a Hamilton County proposal was axed this summer after the community pushed back. Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 20 Oct. 2025 In the end, fired Red Wings Zamboni driver Al Sobotka was unable to convince a mostly younger jury that he was wrongfully axed for urinating in an ice drain at work due to a prostate issue, and that the company really wanted him out because of his age. Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ax
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ax
Noun
  • Miller said his clients believe that this additional context and other policy changes at Indiana Medicaid will address the judge's concerns that anchored her dismissal.
    Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Karen Scham — the resident who originally petitioned to remove the books — was also in attendance, urging Lewin-Lane’s dismissal.
    Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Stroud has been susceptible to a pass rush, having been sacked 52 times last season and 15 so far this season — a pace that would have him on his back 42 1/2 times in 2025.
    Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
  • And Jones did deserve to celebrate given Rodgers wasn’t sacked once despite the loss.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The local union branch is working to make sure that the collective bargaining agreement is honored during the furlough and organizing workshops to help members navigate unemployment benefits and career resources.
    Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
  • That standoff stretched for 35 days, leading to the furlough of more than 350,000 federal workers and forcing 400,000 others to work without pay.
    Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Dominik Szoboszlai, who was asked to play deeper alongside Jones, capped a sensational display by firing home their fifth goal from 20 yards out after Cody Gakpo had netted for the third successive game.
    James Pearce, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The 23-year-old came into the league as the consensus top pick in last year’s draft but struggled as a rookie, in a season which saw the Bears fire their head coach Matt Eberflus following a disastrous Thanksgiving Day loss.
    Ben Morse, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But the lack of transparency and due process are similar, and there are few to no guarantees of the safety of people whom ICE agents remove, often without identifying themselves, and move around without notifying the family or lawyers of the detained.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Slowly but surely, the legal obstacles to taking games overseas have been removed over the past few years.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Venables was dismissed early in the next campaign following three straight defeats, but Lineker went on to net another 20 times that season, helping win the Copa del Rey under Luis Aragones.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Court rules don't allow plaintiffs to submit additional evidence to counter a motion to dismiss, Alex said.
    Paul Egan, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • His head was blown off by Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven, and Sharon Stone terminated him in a gunfight with a shot to the eye in The Quick and the Dead.
    Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
  • One exception is if a company is downsizing and chooses to only terminate employees who have all recently or currently taken FMLA.
    Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • An internal investigation by Kenvue Brands LLC, the company that owns Neutrogena, revealed the brand’s Makeup Remover Ultra-Soft Cleansing Towelettes tested positive for a bacteria known as pluralibacter gergoviae, per information released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
  • The White House did not release the size of the donations for all 37 listed.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ax.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ax. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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