wax

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈwaks

: a substance that is secreted by bees and is used by them for constructing the honeycomb, that is a dull yellow solid plastic when warm, and that is composed primarily of a mixture of esters, hydrocarbons, and fatty acids : beeswax

: any of various substances resembling the wax of bees: such as

: any of numerous substances of plant or animal origin that differ from fats in being less greasy, harder, and more brittle and in containing principally compounds of high molecular weight (such as fatty acids, alcohols, and saturated hydrocarbons)

: a solid substance (such as ozokerite or paraffin wax) of mineral origin consisting usually of hydrocarbons of high molecular weight

: a pliable or liquid composition used especially in uniting surfaces, excluding air, making patterns or impressions, or producing a polished surface

: something likened to wax as soft, impressionable, or readily molded

: a waxy secretion

especially : earwax

: a phonograph recording

waxlike

ˈwaks-ˌlīk

adjective

wax

2 of 5

verb (1)

waxed; waxing; waxes

transitive verb

: to treat or rub with wax usually for polishing, stiffening, or reducing friction

: to apply wax to as a depilatory

getting her legs waxed

: to record on phonograph records

slang : to defeat decisively (as in an athletic contest)

wax

3 of 5

verb (2)

waxed; waxing; waxes

intransitive verb

: to increase in size, numbers, strength, prosperity, or intensity

: to grow in volume or duration

: to grow toward full development

: to increase in phase or intensity

—used chiefly of the moon, other satellites, and inferior planets

: to assume a (specified) characteristic, quality, or state : become

wax indignant

wax poetic

wax

4 of 5

noun (2)

: increase, growth

—usually used in the phrase on the wax

wax

5 of 5

noun (3)

: a fit of temper : rage

Examples of wax in a Sentence

Verb (1) waxing a surfboard I can't believe I bet on a football team that ended up getting waxed 45-0 Verb (2) the commitment of the young volunteers to the cause seems to wax and wane waxed poetic whenever he wrote to his girlfriend

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

Last week, Beautifully Broken launched in the runner-up rung on Billboard’s ranking of the top-selling albums on wax in the U.S. —

Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 Place sandwiches on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper and freeze them for one hour. —

Jillian Kubala, Health, 4 Nov. 2024

Verb

The waxing gibbous Moon in your sign squares off against Mercury and passes through conjunction with Saturn. —

Jennifer Culp, Them, 1 Nov. 2024 In October, during a talk at a conservative think tank in the Upper Midwest, Carlson waxed nostalgic about the Twin Cities. —

Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for wax

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English weax; akin to Old High German wahs wax, Lithuanian vaškas

Verb (2)

Middle English waxen "to grow, increase in size or quantity," going back to Old English weaxan (Class VII strong verb, probably originally Class VI), going back to Germanic *wahsan- (whence also Old Frisian waxa, wexa "to grow, increase," Old Saxon wahsan "to grow, prosper," Middle Dutch wassen "to grow," Old High German wahsan, Old Icelandic vaxa, Gothic wahsjan), going back to an o-grade derivative of the Indo-European verbal base *h₂u̯eks- "grow, increase," whence with e-grade Greek aéxein "to cause to grow, strengthen," aéxesthai "to increase, grow"; with zero grade *h₂uks- Greek aúxein, auxánein "to raise, cultivate, grow," aúxesthai "grow, become larger," Tocharian B auks- "sprout, grow up," Sanskrit úkṣant- "growing," Avestan uxšiieitī "(it) grows"

Note: Germanic *wahsan- was a Class VI strong verb, though the weak infinitive wahsjan in Gothic is evidence of an original causative formation *h₂u̯oks-éi̯e-. In Old English the verb has shifted to Class VII, excepting the Northumbrian past tense forms awōx, wōxon. In later Middle English waxen became a weak verb, though the strong participle waxen persisted into early Modern English, being the more common form (as against waxed) in the Authorized Version of the Bible (1611). — As has long been noted, Indo-European *h₂u̯eks- appears to be a suffixed form of the root *h₂eu̯g- "increase," with the vowel in a different position—so-called "floating ablaut" (German Schwebeablaut) (see eke entry 2).

Noun (2)

Middle English, noun derivative of waxen "to grow, wax entry 3"

Noun (3)

perhaps from wax entry 3

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of wax was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Wax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wax. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

wax

1 of 3 noun

ˈwaks

: a yellowish moldable substance produced by bees and used by them for making the honeycomb

called also beeswax

: any of various substances like the wax of bees

waxlike

ˈwak-ˌslīk

adjective

wax

2 of 3 verb

: to treat or rub with wax

wax

3 of 3 verb

: to grow larger, stronger, fuller, or more numerous

: become sense 1

waxed angry as I heard the story

Etymology

Noun

Old English weax "wax produced by bees"

Verb

Old English weaxan "to increase"

Medical Definition

wax

noun

ˈwaks

: a substance that is secreted by bees and is used by them for constructing the honeycomb, that is a dull yellow solid plastic when warm, and that is composed of a mixture of esters, cerotic acid, and hydrocarbons

called also beeswax

: any of various substances resembling beeswax: as

: any of numerous substances of plant or animal origin that differ from fats in being less greasy, harder, and more brittle and in containing principally compounds of high molecular weight (as fatty acids, alcohols, and saturated hydrocarbons)

: a pliable or liquid composition used especially in uniting surfaces, excluding air, making patterns or impressions, or producing a polished surface

dental waxes

: a waxy secretion

especially : earwax

Last Updated: 20 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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wax

noun (1)

verb (1)

verb (2)

noun (2)

noun (3)

Synonyms

Examples of wax in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near wax

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition