wane
to decrease in strength, intensity, etc.: Daylight waned, and night came on.Her enthusiasm for the cause is waning.
to decline in power, importance, prosperity, etc.: Colonialism began to wane after World War II.
to draw to a close; approach an end: Summer is waning.
(of the moon) to decrease periodically in the extent of its illuminated portion after the full moon.: Compare wax2 (def. 2).
a gradual decrease or decline in strength, intensity, power, etc.
the drawing to a close of life, an era, a period, etc.
the waning of the moon.
a period of waning.
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
on the wane, decreasing; diminishing: The popularity of that song is on the wane.
Origin of wane
1Other words for wane
Words Nearby wane
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use wane in a sentence
At their best, road races can still provide the in-person communal experience that was already on the wane before the pandemic accelerated the forces of alienation and digital cocooning.
Will Major Marathons Actually Come Back This Fall? | Martin Fritz Huber | February 4, 2021 | Outside OnlineThe idea of putting in eight hours a day, five days a week was already on the wane for many millennial and Gen Z workers, long before the arrival of Covid-19.
‘People have had permission to experiment’: Pandemic expedites rethink on 9-to-5 work structures | Jessica Davies | November 23, 2020 | DigidayThe waxing in those Wall Street staples as the results in consumer wane is what’s supporting JPMorgan in the crisis.
How JPMorgan Chase is proceeding with extreme caution—and still making plenty of money | Shawn Tully | October 14, 2020 | FortuneSome might believe bureaucracy is on the wane, that it’s headed for the same fate as landline telephones or gas-powered cars.
The moon was a ribbon-thin waning crescent, and I found the vast dark, with no city lights, almost terrifying to take in.
Today, liberal Protestantism is on the wane, and optimistic postmillennialism along with it.
On defense, Republican small government orthodoxy tends to wane.
Republicans Don’t Really Care About Reducing America’s Debt | Peter Beinart | October 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThere is also statistical evidence to suggest that FGM may be on the wane.
Until last night, the conventional wisdom in Washington was that the Tea Party was on the wane.
Anger Over Fiscal-Cliff Deal Fires Up Tea Party | David Freedlander | January 3, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe South can block some things, but eventually even that power will wane.
Primo de Rivera, who believed the rebellion to be fast on the wane, shipped back to Spain 7,000 troops.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanBut Mrs. Charmington was already on the wane, and as he had no wish to be her hero now he rather fought shy of her.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsThe moon was rising, its reddish disk somewhat diminished from being on the wane.
Urania | Camille FlammarionThe one is religious, the other a civil power; the one may wane, the other rise.
The exchange of places was made, but after Fred had rowed for an hour or more his confidence also began to wane.
The Go Ahead Boys on Smugglers' Island | Ross Kay
British Dictionary definitions for wane
/ (weɪn) /
(of the moon) to show a gradually decreasing portion of illuminated surface, between full moon and new moon: Compare wax 2 (def. 2)
to decrease gradually in size, strength, power, etc
to draw to a close
a decrease, as in size, strength, power, etc
the period during which the moon wanes
the act or an instance of drawing to a close
a rounded surface or defective edge of a plank, where the bark was
on the wane in a state of decline
Origin of wane
1Derived 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
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.
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