earwax
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of earwax
First recorded in 1350–1400, earwax is from the Middle English word erewax. See ear 1, wax 1
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.
"Apparently they're used to scoop out your earwax, as if your fingernail won't do," she said.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2025
Eventually, Dr. Hocker said, additional DNA testing will provide intimate details about the crew found on the Vasa, down to whether they had freckles or wet or dry earwax.
From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2023
A key limitation of apps and online tests is that they can’t rule out potentially reversible causes of hearing loss, such as excess earwax, the way an audiologist would during an in-person test.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 12, 2022
Back before commercial whaling was widely outlawed, plugs of earwax were frequently collected from whale carcasses and stored in archives.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2022
Owing, no doubt, to a buildup of earwax, he had heard the word “Quidditch,” which was not a word at all.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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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.
