From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishaxeaxe1 (also ax American English) /æks/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 
TZa tool with a heavy metal blade on the end of a long handle, used to cut down trees or split pieces of wood → pickaxe2 → the axe3 → the axe4 → have an axe to grind
TZa tool with a heavy metal blade on the end of a long handle, used to cut down trees or split pieces of wood → pickaxe2 → the axe3 → the axe4 → have an axe to grindExamples from the Corpus
axe• Her brother Arijs was an axe murderer.• Attractive young women fanned him as he simultaneously read, wrote, waved an axe and held a flower aloft.• In Crete, we also find the double axe engraved on stalactite columns in caves.• Suppose now that we wish to search the database for axes similar in shape to some given axe.• The strong hand of Skeggi, still half-laid on his axe.• A dozen men and women clad in furs were polishing axes and broadswords monotonously, mindlessly.• When they returned each carried a handful of small axes.axeaxe2 (also ax American English) verb [transitive] 1 LEAVE A JOB OR ORGANIZATIONto suddenly dismiss someone from their job There are plans to axe 2,600 staff.2 GET RID OFto get rid of a plan, system, or service, especially in order to save money TV’s longest running show is to be axed.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
axe• Boro striker Bernie Slaven looked angry before the kick-off after he was axed.• More than 9,000 staff have been axed and about another 11,000 have departed in businesses sold off.• And there was almost a mass brawl 10 minutes before the break after Mark Robson was axed by Gianfranco Parlato.• Now his firm has been axed from school duties in Swansea and faces prosecution.• But axing Julia won't save the revamped News At Ten.• Ironically, he was axed less than three weeks before Boro's first Wembley appearance.From Longman Business Dictionaryaxeaxe1 /æks/ (also ax American English) verb [transitive] informal1JOBif a company axes jobs, it suddenly dismisses people in those jobs in order to reduce costsThe company announced plans to axe 300 jobs.2to suddenly get rid of a plan or service, or reduce the amount of money spent on itThe airline’s transatlantic service is to be axed next month.→ See Verb tableaxeaxe2 (also ax American English) nounJOB1get/be given the axe if someone gets the axe or is given the axe, they are suddenly dismissed from their job because the company wants to reduce costs. If a plan, project, or service gets the axe, it is stopped in order to reduce costsA lot of managers are now getting the axe.2the axe falls if the axe falls, someone is dismissed from their job or a plan, project, or service is stopped because a company needs to reduce its costsThe axe is now falling on people whose talents have been praised only months earlier. 