wane

[ weyn ]

/ weɪn /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wane ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), waned, wan·ing.

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.Compare wax²(def 2).

noun

a gradual decrease or decline in strength, intensity, power, etc.

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.

Nearby words

wanderoo, wandoo, wandorobo, wandsman, wandsworth, wane, waney, wang, wang an shi, wang ching-wei, wang jing wei

Idioms

on the wane, decreasing; diminishing: The popularity of that song is on the wane.

Origin of wane

before 900; Middle English wanen (v.), Old English wanian to lessen; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle High German wanen, Old Norse vana to cause to wane, destroy

SYNONYMS FOR wane

1, 2 diminish, fail, sink.

5 diminution; failure, decay.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wane ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·waned, adjectiveun·wan·ing, adjective

Can be confusedwane wax

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wane

Today, liberal Protestantism is on the wane, and optimistic postmillennialism along with it.
The Evangelical Apocalypse Is All Your Fault|Jay Michaelson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
On defense, Republican small government orthodoxy tends to wane.
Republicans Don’t Really Care About Reducing America’s Debt|Peter Beinart|October 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There is also statistical evidence to suggest that FGM may be on the wane.
Egypt’s Terrible FGM Death|Alastair Beach|June 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Until last night, the conventional wisdom in Washington was that the Tea Party was on the wane.
Anger Over Fiscal-Cliff Deal Fires Up Tea Party|David Freedlander|January 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The South can block some things, but eventually even that power will wane.
The House Vote and the Battle Cry of Freedom|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And it was at this time when their love story was at wane that I became a competitor.
Memoirs of My Dead Life|George Moore
Where there is no growth, decay has already set in; if there be no waxing of the powers, they have already begun to wane.
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles of St. Peter|J. Rawson Lumby
The summer began to wane, and a sharp chill in the air warned Dame Grumble that winter was not far away.
The Green Forest Fairy Book|Loretta Ellen Brady
Apart from the piano work, the special teaching of elegant accomplishments seems just at present on the wane.
Mankind in the Making|H. G. Wells
Even after repeated expeditions had discounted the exuberant optimism of this description, the Englishmen's faith did not wane.
Our Foreigners|Samuel P. Orth

British Dictionary definitions for wane

wane

/ (weɪn) /

verb (intr)

(of the moon) to show a gradually decreasing portion of illuminated surface, between full moon and new moonCompare wax 2 (def. 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

on the wane in a state of decline

Derived Formswaney or wany, adjective

Word Origin for wane

Old English wanian (vb); related to wan-, prefix indicating privation, wana defect, Old Norse vana

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

Word Origin and History for wane

wane

Old English wanian "make or become smaller gradually," from Proto-Germanic *wanojanan (cf. Old Saxon wanon, Old Norse vana, Old Frisian wania, Middle Dutch waenen, Old High German wanon "to wane, to grow less"), from *wano- "lacking," from PIE *we-no-, from root *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out" (see vain). Related: Waned; waning; wanes.

Idioms and Phrases with wane

wane

see wax and wane.

wane

verb (used without object), waned, wan·ing.

noun

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Idioms

Origin of wane

Examples from the Web for wane

British Dictionary definitions for wane

wane

verb (intr)

noun

Word Origin for wane

Word Origin and History for wane

wane

Idioms and Phrases with wane

wane