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chainsaw

chainsaw

75 3.5
A hand-held power tool with a sharp rotating chain used to cut wood
  • noun
  • /ˈtʃeɪnˌsɔː/
translation icon : motosierra
  • With a chainsaw in hand, she began clearing the fallen branches from the path.
  • cut with a chainsaw

And they were eventually cutting through the through through the ice with chainsaws to, to expose this water.

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Examples

  • So now that we have the block form ready for cutting, we will pick up an electric chainsaw to cut the overall shape.

  • Sunlight glints off the blade of the chainsaw, blinding the camera.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The young people began to leave; maintenance workers packed up their chainsaws and drove away.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Metro's first response after the ice storm hit was to send workers out with chainsaws to clear the streets.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The lumberjack used a chainsaw to quickly fell the old pine tree.

  • He carefully operated the chainsaw to cut through the thick logs.

Synonyms

saw
vschainsaw
54 1.0

A tool with a thin toothed blade used to cut wood or other materials

is a specific powered, portable type using a rotating chain
circular saw
vschainsaw
5 3.5

A power tool with a round blade that cuts wood or metal

cuts similarly but does so with a moving chain rather than a disk
power saw
vschainsaw
3 3.2

A machine with a blade that has teeth and cuts wood or other materials

is the specific portable rotating-chain type rather than any machine-driven saw
band saw
vschainsaw
  • Specialized
2 3.7

A machine with a long thin metal band with teeth that cuts wood or other materials

uses a short rotating chain for cutting rather than a long continuous band
buzz saw
vschainsaw
1 4.4

A machine with a round metal blade that turns quickly to cut wood

operates by a moving chain of teeth rather than a spinning disk
chain saw
vschainsaw
1 2.5

A portable machine with a moving chain of teeth for cutting wood

has identical meaning but differs only in spelling or word division
hand saw
vschainsaw
1 2.1

A saw used with one hand to cut wood

is motorized and portable, not manually powered by hand
crosscut saw
vschainsaw
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A hand saw for cutting wood across the grain

is powered and cuts quickly by a rotating chain, not by hand strokes
portable saw
vschainsaw
3.4

A small tool with a round blade that you carry to cut wood or other materials

is also portable but uses a rotating chain rather than a circular blade
4.5

A small machine with a round blade that you hold to cut wood or metal

uses a chain cutting system instead of a circular cutting disk
lumberman's saw
vschainsaw
  • Archaic
7.6

A large tool with handles at both ends used by two people to cut wood

is a single-person powered tool designed for quick cutting of wood

How Powerful

bulldozer
61 3.1
excavator
5 4.0
mulcher
1 5.9
pathbreaker
  • Archaic
8.2
snow thrower
  • US
3.8
chainsaw
75 3.5
machete
63 5.7

Surface Forms

chainsaw singular
chainsaws plural

Morphology

chainsaw = chain + saw (transparent) = chain + saw

The meaning is a straightforward compound: a saw that uses a chain of teeth, which learners can deduce from 'chain' + 'saw'.

Etymology

Chainsaw is a simple mix of chain and saw: a 'saw' that uses a moving 'chain' of metal teeth to cut. So a chainsaw is literally a saw with a fast, toothy metal chain that cuts wood and other materials.