axed

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of ax.

   The studio axed the sequel after disappointing test screenings.

   Foresters axed the diseased trunk before the rot could spread.

   Note

   Spelling hides the difference here. Ax is the US standard form of axe, and both produce the same axed, so the past tense never shows which convention a writer follows. One trap remains: ax is also a dialectal, nonstandard form of ask. In reported speech, axed can therefore mean "asked" rather than "chopped" or "canceled," and only context decides which.

2. 2
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of axe.

   Producers axed the long-running series in a surprise announcement.

   Villagers axed the fallen oak into firewood for the winter.

   Note

   Two lives share this past form. In the woodcutter's, a tree or log is felled or chopped; in the figurative one, jobs, shows or budgets are cut. The figurative use carries a charge, implying a rough, even ruthless decision, so "the series was axed" sounds harsher than "the series ended." A rare verb meaning "to furnish with an axle" also produces axed.

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