axes 1 of 3

noun (1)

Definition of axesnext
plural of ax
as in dismissals
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

axes

2 of 3

noun (2)

plural of axis
1
as in centers
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest in addition to being the suburb's social axis, the country club is the place where deals are made and partnerships are forged

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2
as in alliances
an association of persons, parties, or states for mutual assistance and protection an axis of previously nonaligned nations

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axes

3 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of ax
as in sacks
to let go from office, service, or employment the boss will ax anyone who leaks company secrets

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 axes
Noun
Australian colonial officers had brought new tools, like steel knives and axes, as well as prohibitions—against armed warfare and cannibalism—to some villages. — Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 The discovery, made at radio wavelengths with ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile, could explain why astronomers keep finding planets with orbits that are drastically misaligned with the rotational axes of their stars. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 Aug. 2026 The axes each part can move along are called degrees of freedom (for example, a screw should rotate, but not move side to side). — Kohava Mendelsohn, IEEE Spectrum, 10 Aug. 2026 The spacecraft, named Link, was rotating on multiple axes, rendering it unable to maintain a reliable communications link with the ground and complicating efforts to arrest the spin. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026 There are a few different options for how fast the gimbal moves, and for locking the roll and tilt axes (so the picture stays level even if the handle isn’t). — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 30 July 2026 The attack advanced toward Shakhove along multiple axes, including the Boikivka-Mayak-Shakhove corridor, with separate elements maneuvering toward different objectives. — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 Wilson tries to fire her critique through, if not 12, then at least several axes. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 27 July 2026 During one particularly violent encounter in June 2024, China Coast Guard personnel brandished axes at Philippine troops and slashed their rubber boats. — Ivan Watson, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Verb
The passed by Republicans last month axes the credits for projects that don’t begin producing electricity by 2028. — Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for axes
  1. dismissals
  2. centers
  3. alliances
  4. sacks
  5. firings
  6. capitals
  7. unions
  8. fires
Noun
  • The dismissals varied but building a middle order capable of withstanding a spin barrage in helpful conditions is fundamental to England’s ambitions overseas.
    — Ben Jones, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The allegations against Tran have led to other murder convictions being overturned, dismissals and relatively lenient plea deals in other cases.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissals
Noun
  • City leaders initially approved a 45-day moratorium last month to give officials more time to study how large data centers could affect water, power, noise and air quality in Patterson.
    — Nina Burns, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Maggie’s has 27 cancer support centers around the UK and supports hundreds of thousands of people affected by cancer per year.
    — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of centers
Noun
  • Some fans prefer when the game has fewer twists that disrupt the natural flow of alliances and power structures.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 24 Aug. 2026
  • North Korea’s willingness to sustain such losses reflects the reach of Russia’s global alliances and Moscow’s need for extra manpower.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of alliances
Verb
  • Mountain Vista goes for it on fourth down but the Seminole defense sacks Marquise Reese to force a turnover on downs.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Manning, back for what is probably his final season, is on the short list of best returning quarterbacks in the country and edge rusher Colin Simmons won the SEC sacks title with 12.
    — Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 3 Jan. 2026
Definition of sacks
Noun
  • After various firings and lawsuits involving her brothers, Jeanie’s brothers facilitated her own exit.
    — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • More than 10 individual firings, between 900-910°C, were needed to create the clock.
    — Ming Liu, Robb Report, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of firings
Noun
  • Hyperscalers, cloud providers, and AI companies racing to build the power-hungry facilities needed to train and run their systems now face a collision that is increasingly visible in state capitals and local planning meetings.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Born in Trenton, Michigan, to parents who met working at a denim store, Sherman was raised in Pittsburgh, a world away from fashion’s capitals.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of capitals
Noun
  • Local unions and guilds and indie producers have countered by looking to American web giants to dig deeper in their pockets to underwrite the cost of producing homemade content.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The organization has formed a coalition with 70 other groups, including faith leaders, business executives, unions and other voting rights advocates.
    — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of unions
Verb
  • Jeanie Buss fires her siblings, Part 2 Less than a month after the NBA approved Walter’s takeover, the Lakers fired Joey and Jesse Buss.
    — Law Murray, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The fact is, MLB’s next expansion derby isn’t going to be won by the city that wakes up after Commissioner Rob Manfred fires the starting gun.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of fires

Browse Nearby Words

axed
axes
axing
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Cite this Entry

“Axes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/axes. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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