wane
Americanverb (used without object)
-
wanes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
waned,
past participle, past
-
waning
present participle
-
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.
noun
-
wanes
plural
-
a gradual decrease or decline in strength, intensity, power, etc.
- Synonyms:
- decay, failure, diminution
-
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
verb
-
(of the moon) to show a gradually decreasing portion of illuminated surface, between full moon and new moon Compare wax 2
-
to decrease gradually in size, strength, power, etc
-
to draw to a close
noun
-
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
-
in a state of decline
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wanesimple
-
wanessimple
-
have wanedperfect
-
has wanedperfect
-
am waningprogressive
-
are waningprogressive
-
is waningprogressive
-
have been waningperfect progressive
-
has been waningperfect progressive
Past
-
wanedsimple
-
had wanedperfect
-
was waningprogressive
-
were waningprogressive
-
had been waningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wane
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”
Explanation
Things that wane simply grow smaller. "My initial enthusiasm for helping waned when I saw the massive pile of envelopes that needed sealing." Things that wax and wane, like the moon, grow larger and smaller. Wax is the opposite of wane. A fad, or a fashion, or even a disease, that is on its way out the door is "on the wane." If your influence over your little brother wanes, he’ll probably stop copying you. Anything that wanes, like the moon, influence, or a feeling, has started to go away.
Vocabulary lists containing wane
List 5
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Over The Moon: Planetary Vocabulary
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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:
Classical liberal-arts education fits this model and will take on a greater importance in the age of AI, even as utilitarian models for education wane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Moderna has been trying to regain financial ground after years of consecutive losses since the Covid-19 pandemic started to wane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
The US is one of the few western countries that still has the death penalty, which has been largely phased out in Europe and is beginning to wane in Africa.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The latest Met Office long range forecast hints at similar conditions, suggesting that "the influence of high pressure may wane somewhat" during the final part of July.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The excitement of being somewhere other than school had started to wane.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
Musk has twice exceeded 200 monthly posts about British politics and culture wars, though the volume waxes and wanes with the news cycle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Demand wanes in the following decade, with new units needed declining to 802,000 a year or 8.02 million.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
If the passion wanes, apathy can set in.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
Global venture capital investment hit a record in the first quarter of this year, according to Crunchbase data, pulling in a new generation of founders eager to raise capital before interest wanes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
And so, as July wanes on, I am forced from my attic bedroom to a cot on the screened back porch.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
"People may revert to their prior behavioural patterns because the incentive payments are insufficient when the enthusiasm has waned," said Ferraro, an expert in human behaviour and public policy.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
He spoke about staying vital as hip-hop waxed and waned commercially, how his office’s bar revamped local nightlife, and whether technology has changed the value of good taste.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
It was the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1938, and its prestige has never waned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Enthusiasm for growing the library has waxed and waned over the years.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
For thousands of years, as civilizations waxed and waned, these three art forms—painting, sculpture, and architecture—embodied the ambitions, dreams, and values of their cultures.
From "The Annotated Mona Lisa" by Carol Strickland and John Boswell
Analysts say structural changes in demand—such as a retreat by once-steady buyers like pension funds and foreign governments—are partly to blame for waning demand for longer-term debt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The drop in downtown office leasing appears to be waning, Condon said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Outgoing US presidents have often doubled down on foreign policy in the waning days of their terms, as it's the area in which they have the most power.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
But it’s telling that, unless a massively popular sport with a built-in audience is involved, the turnout for a Pitt movie is waning.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
The waning sun cut across the room from the window, throwing a buttery light on the paneling and the wooden filing cabinets.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
