Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

take an axe to

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.79 in modern English

Syllables: take an ax-e -to
IPA

22

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To boldly demolish, delete, or discontinue (something).

verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: to boldly and forcefully demolish, cut up, cut down, etc.

Example Sentences

"How much you wanna bet on whether they're hatching secret plans to take an axe to the entire Social Security system?"
"The firefighters were not messing around — they took an axe to the locked door."

Inflected Forms

takes an axe to (present, singular) taking an axe to (participle, present) took an axe to (past) taken an axe to (participle, past)

Phrases

chainsaw consultant chopping block dead wood hatchet job take up the hatchet

Frequently Paired Words

chainsaw consultant chopping block dead wood deadwood hatchet job slash take up the hatchet

Questions

What does take an axe to mean?: To boldly demolish, delete, or discontinue (something).

How to pronounce take an axe to

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “take an axe to”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “take an axe to”.
Repeat and practice — Say “take an axe to” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.