wane

[weyn]

verb (used without object)

waned, waning 

1. to decrease in strength, intensity, etc..

   Daylight waned, and night came on.

   Her enthusiasm for the cause is waning.

   Synonyms: sink, fail, diminish

2. to decline in power, importance, prosperity, etc..

   Colonialism began to wane after World War II.

   Synonyms: sink, fail, diminish

3. to draw to a close; approach an end.

   Summer is waning.

4. (of the moon) to decrease periodically in the extent of its illuminated portion after the full moon.

noun

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

   Synonyms: decay, failure, diminution

2. the drawing to a close of life, an era, a period, etc.

3. the waning of the moon.

4. a period of waning.

5. 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.

wane

/ weɪn /

verb

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

2. to decrease gradually in size, strength, power, etc

3. to draw to a close

noun

1. a decrease, as in size, strength, power, etc

2. the period during which the moon wanes

3. the act or an instance of drawing to a close

4. a rounded surface or defective edge of a plank, where the bark was

5. in a state of decline

Other Word Forms

• waney adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wane¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of wane¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on the wane, decreasing; diminishing.

   The popularity of that song is on the wane.

see wax and wane.

Example Sentences

These forces are now waning, however, adding to the challenges facing the U.S. economy.

Read more on Barron's

But it and others shut down years ago as tourism waned, mines closed and many people moved away.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Known in the majority French-speaking province as laïcité, it has been an important value in Quebec society since the 1960s as the Catholic Church's strong influence began to wane in the province.

Read more on BBC

Both their efficacy and side effects can wane as the days go by until the next shot.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The schisms underscore the growing fragility of the nascent coalition in the waning days of its founder.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• abate 
• atrophy 
• decrease 
• die down 
• die out 
• dim 
• dwindle 
• ebb 
• fade 
• peter out 
• shrink 
• slacken 
• subside 
• weaken 
• wither