- a large pick or mattock
- to use a pickaxe on (earth, rocks, etc)
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
pickaxe, US pickax /ˈpɪkˌæks/ n
pick•ax or pick•axe /ˈpɪkˌæks/USA pronunciation
n., pl. -ax•es, v., -axed, -ax•ing.
n. [countable]
v. [~ + object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026n. [countable]
- Buildingpick2 (def. 1).
v. [~ + object]
- Buildingto cut or clear away with a pickax.
pick•ax
(pik′aks′),USA pronunciation n., pl. -ax•es, v., -axed, -ax•ing.
n.
v.t.
v.i.
n.
- Buildinga pick, esp. a mattock.
v.t.
- Buildingto cut or clear away with a pickax.
v.i.
- Buildingto use a pickax.
- Middle French, Old French; akin to French pic pick2. See pique1
- 1275–1325; pick2 + ax; replacing Middle English picois
'pickaxe' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):