0 a tool consisting of a heavy iron or steel blade at the end of a long wooden handle, used for cutting wood
1 The ax is the order to give up your job or to stop or prevent something from happening:
2 to order someone suddenly to give up a job, or to stop or reduce something suddenly:
One swing of the ax is not going to get it done.
The ax has been around in one form or another for more than 1 million years.
We just don't get to see inside those others because, in most cases, there's no ax handy.
The victim told police he heard someone shaking the door handle to his bedroom and saw the intruder grab the ax from beside the door.
Below, the muted echo of ax blows could be heard.
When he couldn't jimmy open a drawer in the kitchen, he hit it with his ax.
One truck driver clubbed a resident with an ax.
Sometimes, of course, you might have someone who has an ax to grind.
