wane

[ weyn ]
See synonyms for: wanewanedwaneswaning 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

Words Nearby wane

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

How to use wane in a sentence

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.