Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of waxing
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at wax 1, -ing 1
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Vocabulary lists containing waxing
Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory
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The Moon – Introductory
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The Moon - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Tim Campbell, CEO of Baillie Gifford—that paradoxically venerable yet go-go Scottish investment house—is waxing eloquent about maybe his favorite stock in the entire universe.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
The “common beat of time did not have a precise and absolute standard”; instead, days stretched and shrank with the waxing and waning of the year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
“Fed leaders would be well served to skip opportunities to share their latest musings. The swivel-chair problem, rhetorically waxing and waning with the latest data release, is common and counterproductive,” Warsh said last April.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 3, 2026
As heartfelt as that night’s musicians were in their speeches, bartender Dan Shapiro said waxing sentimental onstage has been the norm for weeks.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2025
Even in tossing shadows and under a waxing moon I knew him, and he saw me at the same time.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
