1
as in greasing
to coat (something) with a slippery substance in order to reduce friction
waxing a surfboard
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in whipping
slang
to defeat by a large margin
I can't believe I bet on a football team that ended up getting waxed 45-0
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1
as in increasing
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
the commitment of the young volunteers to the cause seems to wax and wane
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in becoming
to eventually have as a state or quality
waxed poetic whenever he wrote to his girlfriend
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of waxing
Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026
On the evening of March 1, there will be an opportunity to sight both Mercury and Venus near a lovely waxing crescent moon.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Walker worked as a janitor at Buffalo’s Roswell Park Cancer Institute, waxing and shining the floors.
—Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026
In addition to those six planets, a 92%-illuminated waxing gibbous Moon will be high in the eastern sky.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
Watch from February 26 to 27, as the waxing gibbous disk glides near luminous Jupiter.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 18 Feb. 2026
Saturday evening, however, brings a 99%-lit (waxing gibbous) moon rising in the late afternoon, visible even before sunset.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Here’s Theravada and then Cleo Reed and then Bruiser Wolf waxing poetic on the No Limit classic Shell Shocked by Mac.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 30 Jan. 2026
This mountain contemporary has a ski room with boot dryers and a waxing station; Park City Mountain Resort, which hosted events during the 2002 Winter Olympics, is about five minutes away.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
This year, a waxing crescent moon will not interfere with meteor watching.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026
On the evening of March 1, there will be an opportunity to sight both Mercury and Venus near a lovely waxing crescent moon.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Walker worked as a janitor at Buffalo’s Roswell Park Cancer Institute, waxing and shining the floors.
—Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026
In addition to those six planets, a 92%-illuminated waxing gibbous Moon will be high in the eastern sky.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
Watch from February 26 to 27, as the waxing gibbous disk glides near luminous Jupiter.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 18 Feb. 2026
Saturday evening, however, brings a 99%-lit (waxing gibbous) moon rising in the late afternoon, visible even before sunset.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Here’s Theravada and then Cleo Reed and then Bruiser Wolf waxing poetic on the No Limit classic Shell Shocked by Mac.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 30 Jan. 2026
This mountain contemporary has a ski room with boot dryers and a waxing station; Park City Mountain Resort, which hosted events during the 2002 Winter Olympics, is about five minutes away.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waxing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waxing. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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