Standard Lemma guide

chainsaw

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈt͡ʃeɪnˌsɔː/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈt͡ʃeɪnˌsɔ/
  • cot-caught-merger: /ˈt͡ʃeɪnˌsɑ/
  • American Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: CH EY1 N S AO2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A power saw that has a power-driven and fast-revolving chain of metal teeth, usually used to cut trees.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: machinery

Topics: business, forestry

Examples

  • He used a chainsaw to cut through the fallen tree on the roadway.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To cut with a chainsaw.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: business, forestry

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To make quick and substantial spending cuts.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

portable power saw; teeth linked to form an endless chain

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chain saw

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: power saw, saw, sawing machine

History

Etymology

Compound of chain + saw in reference to the chain-cutting mechanism.

Across languages

Translations

73 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: բենզասղոց (benzasġocʻ) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Belarusian: бензапіла́ (bjenzapilá) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Catalan: serra de cadena — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Chinese Mandarin: 電鏈鋸 /电链锯 (diànliànjù) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Chinese Mandarin: 電鋸 /电锯 (diànjù) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鏈鋸 /链锯 (liànjù) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Czech: řetězová pila — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Danish: kædesav — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Danish: motorsav — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Dutch: kettingzaag — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Esperanto: motorsegilo — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Estonian: mootorsaag — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Faroese: ketusag — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Finnish: moottorisaha — saw with a power-driven chain
  • French: tronçonneuse — saw with a power-driven chain
  • French: scie à chaîne — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Galician: motoserra — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Georgian: ბენზოხერხი (benzoxerxi) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Georgian: ჯაჭვური ხერხი (ǯač̣vuri xerxi) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • German: Kettensäge — saw with a power-driven chain
  • German: Motorsäge — saw with a power-driven chain
  • German: Motorfuchsschwanz — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Greek: αλυσοπρίονο (alysopríono) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Hungarian: láncfűrész — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Hungarian: druzsba — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Icelandic: keðjusög — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Indonesian: gergaji rantai — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Indonesian: gergaji listrik — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Indonesian: gergaji mesin — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Interlingua: motoserra — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Italian: motosega — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Japanese: チェーンソー (chēnsō) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Japanese: 鎖鋸 (kusarinoko) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Khmer: រណាយន្ត (rənaa yʊən) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Khmer: រណាច្រវាក់ (rənaa crɑvak) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Korean: 사슬톱 (saseultop) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Korean: 체인톱 (cheintop) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Latvian: motorzāģis — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Luxembourgish: Motorsee — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Macedonian: моторна пила́ (motorna pilá) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Mongolian: гинжит хөрөө (ginžit xöröö) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Norman: scie à chaîne — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Norwegian Bokmål: motorsag — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: motorsag — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Polish: piła łańcuchowa — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Polish: pilarka łańcuchowa — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Portuguese: motosserra — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Portuguese: motoserrote — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Portuguese: eletrosserra — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Romanian: ferăstrău — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Romanian: fierăstrău — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Romanian: drujbă — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Russian: бензопила́ (benzopilá) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Russian: цепна́я пила́ (cepnája pilá) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Serbo-Croatian: motorna pila — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Sicilian: motuserra — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Slovak: reťazová píla — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Slovene: motorka — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Spanish: motosierra — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Spanish: sierra eléctrica — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Spanish: sierra de cadena — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Spanish: motoserrucho — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Spanish: tronzadora — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Swahili: msumeno wa mnyororo — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Swedish: motorsåg — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Thai: เลื่อยยนต์ (lʉ̂ai-yon) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Turkish: motorlu testere — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Turkish: zincirli testere — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Turkish: hızar — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Ukrainian: бензопила́ (benzopylá) — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Vietnamese: cưa máy — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Vietnamese: máy cưa xích — saw with a power-driven chain
  • Welsh: llif gadwyn — saw with a power-driven chain