as in decreased
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
in the course of the evening the storm steadily waned
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Recent Examples of waned
Carlsson and Terry did combine to assist on Granlund’s power-play tally on Thursday, but the effectiveness of Anaheim’s top line waned as the series went on.
—
Eric Stephens, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Deaths declined as the pandemic waned.
—Mike Stobbe, Fortune, 13 May 2026
However, that excitement soon waned as the city planner who had been assisting with the project left in September.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Public trust has waned at City Hall over the years because of the mismanagement of budgets, promises kept and broken and accountability and transparency.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 4 May 2026
That obsession hasn’t waned much since.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
Craig had good moments attacking the middle of the field in the intermediate passing game, but there were stilll times where his accuracy waned during 7-on-7 and other drills.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
As Cook steps down, Apple is still a financial juggernaut, but its cultural significance has waned.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Public interest also waned after the moon landings — as dangerous and audacious as they were — seemed to become routine.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
Eric Stephens, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Deaths declined as the pandemic waned.
—Mike Stobbe, Fortune, 13 May 2026
However, that excitement soon waned as the city planner who had been assisting with the project left in September.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Public trust has waned at City Hall over the years because of the mismanagement of budgets, promises kept and broken and accountability and transparency.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 4 May 2026
That obsession hasn’t waned much since.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
Craig had good moments attacking the middle of the field in the intermediate passing game, but there were stilll times where his accuracy waned during 7-on-7 and other drills.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
As Cook steps down, Apple is still a financial juggernaut, but its cultural significance has waned.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Public interest also waned after the moon landings — as dangerous and audacious as they were — seemed to become routine.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waned
Verb
-
In 2024, that decreased to 20 percent.—
Ashley Wu,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
School enrollment numbers have decreased markedly in Connecticut in the past two years.—
Sasha Allen,
Hartford Courant,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Once his symptoms subsided, he was transferred to another room, and at least 50 people lined the hallways and cheered him on during the move.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
17 May 2026
-
Although fighting largely subsided weeks ago, the Strait of Hormuz, remains blocked.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Another theory suggests regulatory changes in China a few years ago appear to have diminished the availability of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl.—
Mike Stobbe,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
-
The roles of China and Russia, as Iran’s allies, are strengthened; the role of the United States, substantially diminished.—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
But they were felled by poor shooting Friday, making just 35% overall and were particularly bad from long range.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
-
But before he was felled at age 68 by a heart attack, Joiner had shared what was in the briefcase with the lead Louisiana State Police investigator on the case, Stefan Montgomery, Joiner's son and the LSP confirmed.—
Stephanie Gosk,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For more than 40 days, the former Venezuelan police officers said, two of their colleagues simply vanished inside El Helicoide.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
11 May 2026
-
Around 13 years after Madeleine vanished without a trace, German prosecutors named Christian Brueckner as a suspect in her disappearance.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
By the end of the year, the epidemic in Chihuahua state finally ebbed.—
Mary Beth Sheridan,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
-
And his fascination with Xi hasn’t ebbed.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waned. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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