wax

¹ American  

[waks] / wæks /

noun

1. Also called beeswax.  a solid, yellowish, nonglycerine substance allied to fats and oils, secreted by bees, plastic when warm and melting at about 145°F, variously employed in making candles, models, casts, ointments, etc., and used by bees in constructing their honeycomb.

2. any of various similar substances, as spermaceti or the secretions of certain insects and plants.

3. any of a group of substances composed of hydrocarbons, alcohols, fatty acids, and esters that are solid at ordinary temperatures.

4. earwax; cerumen.

5. a resinous substance used by shoemakers for rubbing thread.

6. sealing wax.

7. a person or object suggesting wax, as in manageability or malleability.

   I am helpless wax in your hands.

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verb (used with object)

1. to rub, smear, stiffen, polish, etc., with wax.

   to wax the floor.

2. to fill the crevices of (ornamental marble) with colored material.

3. bikini wax.

4. Informal. to make a phonograph recording of.

5. Slang. to defeat decisively; drub.

   We waxed the competition.

adjective

1. pertaining to, made of, or resembling wax.

   a wax candle; a wax doll.

idioms

1. whole ball of wax,

   1. the entire or overall plan, concept, action, result, or the like.

      The first ten minutes of the meeting will determine the whole ball of wax.

   2. everything of a similar or related nature.

      They sold us skis, boots, bindings, poles—the whole ball of wax.

wax ² American  

[waks] / wæks /

verb (used without object)

waxed, waxed, waxen, waxing

1. to increase in extent, quantity, intensity, power, etc..

   Discord waxed at an alarming rate.

   Synonyms:

   dilate, enlarge, lengthen, grow, extend

2. (of the moon) to increase in the extent of its illuminated portion before the full moon.

3. to grow or become.

   He waxed angry at the insinuation.

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wax ³ American  

[waks] / wæks /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a fit of anger; rage.

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wax ¹ British  

/ wæks /

verb

1. to become larger, more powerful, etc

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

3. archaic to become as specified

   the time waxed late

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wax ² British  

/ wæks /

noun

1. any of various viscous or solid materials of natural origin: characteristically lustrous, insoluble in water, and having a low softening temperature, they consist largely of esters of fatty acids

2. any of various similar substances, such as paraffin wax or ozocerite, that have a mineral origin and consist largely of hydrocarbons

3. short for beeswax sealing wax

4. physiol another name for cerumen

5. a resinous preparation used by shoemakers to rub on thread

6. a mixture of wax, oil, and carbolic acid applied to the cut surface of a bone to prevent bleeding

7. any substance or object that is pliable or easily moulded

   he was wax in the hands of the political bosses

8. (modifier) made of or resembling wax

   a wax figure

9. the act or an instance of removing body hair by coating it with warm wax, applying a strip of fabric, and then removing the fabric sharply, thereby plucking the hairs out by their roots

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verb

1. (tr) to coat, polish, etc, with wax

2. to remove (body hair) by means of a wax treatment

wax ³ British  

/ wæks /

noun

1. informal a fit of rage or temper

   he's in a wax today

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wax Scientific  

/ wăks /

1. Any of various solid, usually yellow substances that melt or soften easily when heated. They are similar to fats, but are less greasy and more brittle. Naturally occurring animal and plant waxes are esters of saturated fatty acids and alcohols of high molecular weight, including sterols. Waxes are also manufactured synthetically from petroleum, and are used to make polishers, lubricants, coatings, waterproofing, crayons, candles, and many other products.

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wax More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing wax

• whole ball of wax

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Other Word Forms

• waxer
  noun
• waxable
  adjective
• waxlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of wax¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun wax(e), wex(e), Old English weax, wex; cognate with Dutch was, German Wachs, Old Norse vax; the verb is derivative of the noun

Origin of wax²

First recorded before 900; Middle English waxen, wax(e), waxien, Old English weaxan, weacsan, weahsan; cognate with German wachsen; akin to waist

Origin of wax³

First recorded in 1850–55; perhaps special use of wax ²

Explanation

The verb wax is most often found in the company of its opposite, "wane." To wax is to grow larger or increase, whereas wane means to grow smaller or decrease. As the moon grows towards fullness, it waxes. It wanes, or diminishes in size, as the new moon approaches. This is the most common context for the verb wax, but it is also used to describe other phenomena that grow or increase, particularly those that are cyclical. Figuratively, if you wax eloquent, lyrical or poetic about something, you talk about it at great length and with growing enthusiasm. The noun wax refers to chemical compounds that can be shaped and molded, for example into candles, when warm.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wax waxed waxen waxing

Nolan, the Conagra demand scientist, has seen gluten-free, vegan, keto, low-carb and fat-free diets all wane and wax in popularity over the years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

"I just couldn't believe. It was like going to Madame Tussauds but the wax was animated and you could interact with the wax and it talked back to you, it was absolutely mad."

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Rather than simply reusing existing wax, queen cell builders actively collect, modify, and enrich materials used in royal chambers.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026

"Surf wax, which we put on the boards, is not available at all in Gaza, so we resort to candle wax so we can keep this sport going," he added.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

The building was less than a block from the Beje, and probably a century newer, but there was no Tante Anna to wax and scrub.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

At an impromptu press conference last week, US President Donald Trump waxed lyrical about his helipad, his ballroom and his granite paving stones.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

Enthusiasm for growing the library has waxed and waned over the years.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

The connections among the Emersonians waxed and waned.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

I’ve waxed poetic about pre-chopped onions as a doorway to weeknight cooking.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Sincerely yours, Cara L. Landry At seven-thirty that morning Cara had been on her way through the halls, her shoes squeaking on the newly waxed floors.

From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements

Her voice, paired with Mr. Carey’s writing, creates a beguiling audio backstory for a woman whom time has rendered as unreal as one of her waxen figures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

“That’s a lie,” was his standard rejoinder, strangely accompanied by a waxen smile that flickered on and off as though set on a faulty timer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2023

Urs Fischer offers a literally waxen redeployment of antique statuary: a candle in the shape of the Three Graces, the central goddess facing backward, their absent heads turned into burning wicks.

From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2023

Soon after her fourth birthday, in the summer of 1930, a waxen effigy of Princess Elizabeth made its debut at Madame Tussauds, seated on a pony.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2022

He was in his late twenties, blond, with fair, almost waxen, skin.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys

So don’t ask me how I know that its male contestants seem to spend more time waxing than your average Real Housewife.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

That contrast demonstrates the light-switch - or waxing and waning effect - that can be postpartum psychosis, experts told the BBC.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Yet despite his affinity for Wallace, none of Randolph’s waxing poetry turns false in the wash.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

The index has seen some wild moves this week -- including Tuesday's 10 percent drop -- amid waxing and waning optimism over the AI boom.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

Eleven days later, the moon was at three-quarters waxing.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young