battle-ax

noun

bat·​tle-ax ˈba-tᵊl-ˌaks How to pronounce battle-ax (audio)
variants or battle-axe
Synonyms of battle-axnext
1
: a broadax formerly used as a weapon of war
2
: a usually older woman who is sharp-tongued, domineering, or combative

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of battle-ax in a Sentence

the veteran stage actress stole every scene with a tour de force performance as the dysfunctional family's battle-ax matriarch

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of battle-ax was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near battle-ax

battle

battle-ax

battle bill

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Battle-ax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/battle-ax. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

battle-ax

noun
bat·​tle-ax
variants or battle-axe
ˈbat-ᵊl-ˌaks
: an ax with a broad blade formerly used as a weapon
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...