1. poleaxe somebody to hit somebody very hard so that they fall down and cannot stand up again
2. [usually passive] poleaxe somebody to surprise or shock you so much that you do not know what to say or do Synonym : dumbfoundTopics
Word OriginMiddle English: related to Middle Dutch pol(l)aex, Middle Low German pol(l)exe (see poll, axe). The change in the first syllable was due to association with pole ‘long piece of word or metal’; the first element poll- may have referred to a special head of the axe or to the head of an enemy.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲