wane
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).
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.
Idioms about wane
on the wane, decreasing; diminishing: The popularity of that song is on the wane.
Origin of wane
1Other words for wane
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use wane in a sentence
He also noted that Japan uses up to $6 million of taxpayer money each year to sustain the industry, even as public support wanes.
Court Rules Japan Can No Longer Slaughter Whales in The Antarctic | Jake Adelstein, Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky | March 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTPerhaps he hopes to ingratiate himself with the Taliban as US and Western influence wanes.
The protection offered by the current vaccine also wanes more rapidly than researchers once thought.
Ignore the Fear Mongering: Whooping Cough Vaccine Works | Amanda Schaffer | February 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTEven when Americans are spurred to social action by a major disaster, interest wanes relatively quickly.
The moonlight wanes: the horizon again shows black against the sky, broken only by the fantastic silhouette of the Sphinx.
Caesar and Cleopatra | George Bernard Shaw
I have brought a lot of good books, and if their interest wanes have the whole circulating library to fall back on.
The Letters of William James, Vol. 1 | William JamesAs they grow old their keenness wanes; they lose their bearings easily down below, and show bad judgment.
Careers of Danger and Daring | Cleveland MoffettThe day wanes, the shadows begin to deepen, revealing the flashes from cannon and musket.
Following the Flag | Charles Carleton CoffinWhen the bloom wanes, and is nearly overtopped by the leaves, the time has come that I find best for dividing and replanting.
Wood and Garden | Gertrude Jekyll
British Dictionary definitions for wane
/ (weɪn) /
(of the moon) to show a gradually decreasing portion of illuminated surface, between full moon and new moon: Compare wax 2 (def. 2)
to decrease gradually in size, strength, power, etc
to draw to a close
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
Origin of wane
1Derived forms of wane
- waney or wany, adjective
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with wane
see wax and wane.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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