axes

[ak-seez] / ˈæk siz /

NOUN

large cutting tool

Synonyms

WEAK

adz chopper hatchet tomahawk

NOUN

point around which something revolves

Synonyms

STRONG

arbor axle hinge pivot pole shaft spindle stalk stem support

WEAK

turning point

VERB

cut with large blade

Synonyms

WEAK

chop cut cut down fell hew

Antonyms

WEAK

hire

VERB

dismiss from service

Synonyms

WEAK

boot bounce can cancel cut back discharge dispense with eliminate fire get rid of give a pink slip give the boot kick out lay off remove sack terminate throw out

Antonyms

WEAK

hire

VERB

dismiss

Synonyms

STRONG

can cleaver discharge fire hatchet poll sack tomahawk

Antonyms

STRONG

employ hire

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Amazon axes 16,000 jobs as it pushes AI and efficiency,” Reuters announced last week.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

Climbers venturing along the Devil's Backbone trail are advised to carry crampons and ice axes.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025

Up to several hundred trucks can be escorted at a time, but even with the military by their side, convoys are still frequently targeted, especially on two key southern axes.

From Barron's • Nov. 4, 2025

We fled late at night to stay at the house of a friend who lived nearby, returning the next morning for the included breakfast of Johnny Cakes shaped like axes.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025

All day long, using only axes and chains, they pulled out tree stumps to make way for a road.

From "Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps" by Andrea Warren