wane
Americanverb (used without object)
-
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
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Over The Moon: Planetary Vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
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
“We are reasonably optimistic on the consumer outlook, though momentum may wane in the back half of the year if gas prices spike again, without a buffer from tax refunds,” Reid wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
After the war, however, when the U.S. had about half the world’s gross domestic product, the fire that had driven so many innovators seemed to wane as managers with MBAs took over corporate America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
The technology’s real allure for studio executives may not wane, however.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026
My interest in Julian Morrow and his Greek pupils, though still keen, was starting to wane when a curious coincidence happened.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
As interest in Tesla’s electric passenger vehicles wanes, the company is betting on the truck to give it a needed boost.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Growing capacity too fast in the chip business can cause whiplash later: When demand wanes, manufacturers are stuck with unused factory space that costs money to maintain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
If the passion wanes, apathy can set in.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
But as tech’s contribution to earnings growth wanes, so too may its dominance.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
“The moon wanes to her dark,” Vetch murmured, awake in the dawn, when for a while the cold wind dropped.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
But Oddie's childhood interest in ornithology had never waned and, by the mid 1970s, he was developing a career as a naturalist.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
But China's influence has waned since Rabuka entered office in 2022, favouring Fiji's traditional partnerships with Australia and New Zealand.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
Increasingly, the justices are making big decisions after they’ve issued their final merits docket decision, when public attention has waned.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
The price declines also followed a sharp drop in bird flu cases, giving companies time to rebuild flocks as consumer demand waned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Over the years, Roosevelt’s enthusiasm and interest in natural history had not waned.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
More than that, he made a key tactical decision in the waning days of the campaign.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Mostly, those are the “momentum” stocks like chip makers that have gyrated with waxing and waning AI optimism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Reading scores among high school seniors are at their lowest in decades, according to federal testing data, while schools across the country are grappling with how to respond to waning attention spans and artificial intelligence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Talk of America’s waning financial and economic hegemony has been greatly exaggerated.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 28, 2026
It was a natural choice; the waxing and waning of the moon in the heavens was hard to overlook, and it offered a convenient way of marking periodic cycles of time.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions 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.
