wane

[ weyn ]

/ weɪn /

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See synonyms for: wane / waned / wanes / waning 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.

SYNONYMS FOR wane

1, 2 diminish, fail, sink.

5 diminution; failure, decay.

See synonyms for wane on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.

Question 1 of 8

Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?

The Sunflower State

The Evergreen State

The Magnolia State

The Mockingbird State

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for wane

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

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”

OTHER WORDS FROM wane

un·waned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for wane

They hope Liberty’s political influence over the city may be on the wane just as downtown redevelopment is bringing loft apartments and new voters to the city.
Lynchburg goes blue for president for the first time since Harry Truman in 1948|Laura Vozzella, Susan Svrluga|November 8, 2020|Washington Post
The German infatuation with Atatürk and Turkey waned after the Beerhall Putsch.
The 20th-Century Dictator Most Idolized by Hitler|William O’Connor|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Marston died in 1947, her political edge waned still further.
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever Imagine|Tom Arnold-Forster|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As prejudices waned, it became easier and ultimately desirable for Jews to fully assimilate.
The Ghost Hotels of the Catskills|Brandon Presser|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In 1944, the Nazi influence waned, allowing the Soviet tide to come crashing back down on the Baltic shores.
Secret KGB Torture House Opens Its Doors in Riga|Brandon Presser|June 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Trust in European institutions has waned across the continent.
Elections Could Be the Beginning of the End for Europe|Tracy McNicoll, Nadette De Visser|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Egypt withdrew, the glamour waned, the ancient spell seemed lifted.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
Uxenden eventually waned entirely, and without tears so far as I was concerned.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 152, May 16, 1917.|Various
And Rollo indeed ran faster, but the desert steed faster too; and for a long time the distance between neither waxed nor waned.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
The talk grew less and less magnetic; the interest waned; the descriptions of his travels became less alive.
Masterpieces of Mystery, Vol. 1 (of 4)|Various
Slowly, as the summer waned, I made my way up through the Casentino, once more past the strongholds and the little towns.
Florence and Northern Tuscany with Genoa|Edward Hutton

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 forms of wane

waney 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

Idioms and Phrases with wane

wane

see wax and wane.

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wane

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

noun

SYNONYMS FOR wane

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Idioms for wane

Origin of wane

OTHER WORDS FROM wane

Example sentences from the Web for wane

British Dictionary definitions for wane

verb (intr)

noun

Derived forms of wane

Word Origin for wane

Idioms and Phrases with wane

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

wane

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

noun

SYNONYMS FOR wane

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Idioms for wane

Origin of wane

OTHER WORDS FROM wane

Words related to wane

Example sentences from the Web for wane

British Dictionary definitions for wane

verb (intr)

noun

Derived forms of wane

Word Origin for wane

Idioms and Phrases with wane