Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of waxing
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at wax 1, -ing 1
Compare meaning
How does waxing compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Vocabulary lists containing waxing
Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Moon – Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Moon - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
This is even though a similarly quick stop in London last year led to a waxing of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
But unlike Humphrey Bogart in “Casablanca,” the governors of California, Washington and other states aren’t waxing nostalgic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
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
Online influencer Aniessa Navarro said she felt sick when she realised during a personal waxing session that her technician was wearing Meta's glasses.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
The waxing moon sank into the cloudy West.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
“There is a place in newspaper food sections and food magazines for cheery, revisionist, nostalgic waxings; for songs of dew-kissed baby lettuces; for Proustian glances back,” she writes.
From New York Times ● Feb. 18, 2022
He arranged for them to get eyebrow waxings and manicures on the day before his Sept.
From Time Magazine Archive
Its waxings and wanings were marked by curious "trepidations" of brightness extremely perplexing to theory.
From A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century Fourth Edition by Agnes M. (Agnes Mary) Clerke
What is the reason for these waxings and wanings?
From Education: How Old The New by James J. Walsh
I might tell of waxings and waning of love between us, but the whole was waning.
From Tono Bungay by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
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.
