axe

{{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}}

(esp. BrE) (AmE usually ax) noun

1 tool

VERB + AXE

▪ brandish (esp. BrE), carry, heft (esp. AmE), hold, wield

▪

A man used to wielding an axe fought best on foot.

▪ use

▪ swing

▪ sharpen

AXE + VERB

▪ fall

▪

The executioner's axe fell.

PREPOSITION

▪ with an/the axe

▪

to chop a tree down with an axe

PHRASES

▪ a blow from an axe, a blow of an axe

▪

With a few swift blows of the axe, she severed the cable.

2 the axe complete loss of sth/big reduction in sth

VERB + THE AXE

▪ be given, get

▪

His prime-time TV show is likely to get the axe.

▪ swing, wield (both esp. BrE)

▪

Wielding the axe on the prison plan would be one way of saving money.

▪ face (BrE)

▪

Up to 300 workers are facing the axe at a struggling Merseyside firm.

▪ save sb/sth from

▪

Patients are delighted their local hospital has been saved from the axe.

THE AXE + VERB

▪ fall

▪

We were expecting bad news but had no idea where the axe would fall (= where the loss would be).

{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}

verb

Axe/ax is used with these nouns as the object: ↑job, ↑service