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waxwork

American  
[waks-wurk] / ˈwæksˌwɜrk /

noun

  1. a figure, ornament, or other object made of wax, or especially the life-size effigy of a person.

  2. the bittersweet, Celastrus scandens.


waxwork British  
/ ˈwæksˌwɜːk /

noun

  1. an object reproduced in wax, esp as an ornament

  2. a life-size lifelike figure, esp of a famous person, reproduced in wax

  3. (plural; functioning as singular or plural) a museum or exhibition of wax figures or objects

"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 Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of waxwork

First recorded in 1690–1700; wax 1 + work


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Later, in England, Little gains fame as the waxwork impresario Madame Tussaud.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

But she was also once a maker of waxwork likenesses on display at Madame Tussauds, including the late Queen's husband Prince Philip and former prime minister Sir Tony Blair among the models she made.

From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026

The waxwork will be part of the new film and TV-themed zone at the Baker Street attraction, which also features James Bond, E.T and Millie Bobby Brown's Enola Holmes.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2024

Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa has come face to face with his waxwork doppelganger as it was unveiled at Madame Tussauds in London.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2024

It was a museum used for propaganda displays of various kinds—scale models of rocket bombs and Floating Fortresses, waxwork tableaux illustrating enemy atrocities, and the like.

From "1984" by George Orwell

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