wane

[ weyn ]
See synonyms for wane on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),waned, wan·ing.
  1. to decrease in strength, intensity, etc.: Daylight waned, and night came on.Her enthusiasm for the cause is waning.

  2. to decline in power, importance, prosperity, etc.: Colonialism began to wane after World War II.

  1. to draw to a close; approach an end: Summer is waning.

  2. (of the moon) to decrease periodically in the extent of its illuminated portion after the full moon.: Compare wax2 (def. 2).

noun
  1. a gradual decrease or decline in strength, intensity, power, etc.

  2. the drawing to a close of life, an era, a period, etc.

  1. the waning of the moon.

  2. a period of waning.

  3. a defect in a plank or board characterized by bark or insufficient wood at a corner or along an edge, due to the curvature of the log.

Idioms about wane

  1. on the wane, decreasing; diminishing: The popularity of that song is on the wane.

Origin of wane

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb wanen, Old English wanian “to lessen”; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle High German wanen, Old Norse vana “to cause to wane, destroy”

Other words for wane

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use wane in a sentence

  • I have brought a lot of good books, and if their interest wanes have the whole circulating library to fall back on.

  • As they grow old their keenness wanes; they lose their bearings easily down below, and show bad judgment.

    Careers of Danger and Daring | Cleveland Moffett
  • The day wanes, the shadows begin to deepen, revealing the flashes from cannon and musket.

    Following the Flag | Charles Carleton Coffin
  • When the bloom wanes, and is nearly overtopped by the leaves, the time has come that I find best for dividing and replanting.

    Wood and Garden | Gertrude Jekyll

British Dictionary definitions for wane

wane

/ (weɪn) /


verb(intr)
  1. (of the moon) to show a gradually decreasing portion of illuminated surface, between full moon and new moon: Compare wax 2 (def. 2)

  2. to decrease gradually in size, strength, power, etc

  1. to draw to a close

noun
  1. a decrease, as in size, strength, power, etc

  2. the period during which the moon wanes

  1. the act or an instance of drawing to a close

  2. a rounded surface or defective edge of a plank, where the bark was

  3. on the wane in a state of decline

Origin of wane

1
Old English wanian (vb); related to wan-, prefix indicating privation, wana defect, Old Norse vana

Derived forms of wane

  • waney or wany, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with wane

wane

see wax and wane.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.