Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

poleaxe

/ˈpoʊlˌæks/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.14 in modern English

Syllables: poleaxe
IPA: /ˈpoʊlˌæks/

16

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An ax having both a blade and a hammer face; used to slaughter cattle.

noun

A long-handled battle axe, being a combination of ax, hammer and pike.

verb

To fell someone with, or as if with, a poleaxe.

Transitive verb

verb

To astonish; to shock or surprise utterly.

Transitive verb

verb

To stymie, thwart, cripple, paralyze.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Lisa Griffin, who runs Brew Rock and an Irish pub in nearby Benidorm, was as poleaxed by the announcement as her customers were."
"After a lacklustre campaign that has failed to grapple with Germany’s looming problems, the world should expect post-election coalition talks to last for months, poleaxing European politics while they drag on."

Etymology

From earlier pollax, from poll (“head”) + axe, with the spelling influenced by pole.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpoʊlˌæks/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

poleaxes (plural) poleax (alternative) pole-axe (alternative) pollaxe (alternative) pollax (alternative) polax (alternative) poleaxes (present, singular) poleaxing (participle, present) poleaxed (participle, past) poleaxed (past)

Phrases

pole hammer

Frequently Paired Words

pole hammer twibill

Synonyms

poleax

Questions

How do you pronounce poleaxe?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpoʊlˌæks/.
What does poleaxe mean?: An ax having both a blade and a hammer face; used to slaughter cattle.
Where does poleaxe come from?: From earlier pollax, from poll (“head”) + axe, with the spelling influenced by pole.

How to pronounce poleaxe

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “poleaxe”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpoʊlˌæks/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “poleaxe” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.