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

If your neighborhood doesn’t have this tradition or it has waned in recent years, talk to your neighbors about bringing it back.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Molson, in August, said that drinkers’ enthusiasm for beer hadn’t waned.

Read more on MarketWatch

After months of waning attendance at daily rallies outside the Georgian parliament, the opposition last month tried to galvanise the crowds once more.

Read more on Barron's

California oil production has been waning since the 1980s and has more recently been pinched by the push for cleaner forms of energy.

Read more on Barron's

"This slowdown reflects the waning impact of the consumer goods trade-in scheme, which had boosted sales of certain products earlier in the year," wrote Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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