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waxwork

American  
[waks-wurk] / ˈwæksˌwɜrk /

noun

  1. a figure, ornament, or other object made of wax, or especially the life-size effigy of a person.

  2. the bittersweet, Celastrus scandens.


waxwork British  
/ ˈwæksˌwɜːk /

noun

  1. an object reproduced in wax, esp as an ornament

  2. a life-size lifelike figure, esp of a famous person, reproduced in wax

  3. (plural; functioning as singular or plural) a museum or exhibition of wax figures or objects

"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 Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of waxwork

First recorded in 1690–1700; wax 1 + work

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.

Later, in England, Little gains fame as the waxwork impresario Madame Tussaud.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

The MMA fighter's father, Tony McGregor, unveiled the waxwork in August 2017.

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2024

Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa has come face to face with his waxwork doppelganger as it was unveiled at Madame Tussauds in London.

From BBC • Jul. 18, 2024

The museum's management also said there had been negative comments on social media about the waxwork.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2023

It was a museum used for propaganda displays of various kinds—scale models of rocket bombs and Floating Fortresses, waxwork tableaux illustrating enemy atrocities, and the like.

From "1984" by George Orwell

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