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Showing results for waxwork. Search instead for waxworking.

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

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.

See Examples For:

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

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 12, 2026

Footage showed activists placing the waxwork in front of the embassy alongside signs and placards.

From BBC Jun. 2, 2025

She was also the first female footballer to have a waxwork figure made at Madame Tussauds, winning a public vote.

From BBC May 27, 2025

The waxwork will be part of the new film and TV-themed zone at the Baker Street attraction, which also features James Bond, E.T and Millie Bobby Brown's Enola Holmes.

From BBC Jul. 18, 2024

Processions, meetings, military parades, lectures, waxwork displays, film shows, telescreen programs all had to be organized; stands had to be erected, effigies built, slogans coined, songs written, rumors circulated, photographs faked.

From "1984" by George Orwell

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