Wax — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈwaks/

Meaning & Definition of Wax

Wax (noun)

  1. 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
  2. any of various substances resembling the wax of bees
  3. 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)
  4. increase, growth —usually used in the phrase on the wax
  5. a fit of temper, rage

Wax (verb)

  1. to treat or rub with wax usually for polishing, stiffening, or reducing friction
  2. to apply wax to as a depilatory
  3. to record on phonograph records
  4. to increase in size, numbers, strength, prosperity, or intensity
  5. to grow in volume or duration
  6. to grow toward full development

Wax (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to coat (something) with a slippery substance in order to reduce friction

    "waxing a surfboard"

    similar: grease, lubricate, oil, slick
    related: bathe, douse, drench, soak, souse, wash, water, wet
    near: coarsen, rough, roughen, dehydrate, dry, parch, sear

  2. to defeat by a large margin

    "I can't believe I bet on a football team that ended up getting waxed 45-0"

    similar: annihilate, blow away, bomb, bury, clobber, cream, drub, dust, flatten, paste, rout, shellac, skin, skunk, smoke (slang), smother, snow under, thrash, trim, tromp, trounce, wallop, whip, whomp, whop, whup, beat the pants off, eat alive, run circles around, wipe the floor with
    related: sweep, upset, beat, best, conquer, dispatch, hurdle, lick, master, overbear, overcome, overmatch, prevail (over), subdue, surmount, take, throw, triumph (over), win (against), worst, crush, knock off, knock over, overpower, overthrow, overwhelm, subjugate, upend, vanquish, ace (out), better, eclipse, exceed, outdistance, outdo, outfight, outshine, outstrip, overtop, surpass, top, transcend, edge (out), nose out, pip (British), cap, excel, flourish, score, succeed, break, destroy, do in, finish, sink, slaughter

  3. to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number

    "the commitment of the young volunteers to the cause seems to wax and wane"

    similar: accelerate, accumulate, appreciate, balloon, boom, build up, burgeon, climb, enlarge, escalate, expand, gain, increase, mount, multiply, mushroom, proliferate, rise, roll up, snowball, spread, swell
    related: jump, rocket, skyrocket, surge, heighten, intensify, redouble, blow up, bulk, distend, inflate, puff (up), crescendo, crest, peak
    opposite: contract, decrease, diminish, dwindle, lessen, recede, wane

  4. to eventually have as a state or quality

    "waxed poetic whenever he wrote to his girlfriend"

    similar: become, come, get, go, grow, run, turn
    related: alter, change, metamorphose, modify, mutate, transfigure, transform, transmute
    near: abide, be, continue, linger, remain, stay

Related Entry: Ball of wax (phrase)

Ball of wax is a different word from Wax. The synonyms below are for ball of wax, not for wax.

  1. something to be dealt with

    "We've moved all the boxes, but the furniture's another ball of wax."

    similar: affair, business, matter, thing
    related: consideration, issue, problem, crisis, crossroad(s), crunch, emergency, exigency, flash point, head, juncture, strait, zero hour, concern, trouble, worry, care, lookout, responsibility, deadlock, halt, impasse, stalemate, standstill, corner, fix, hole, hot water, jam, pickle, pinch, predicament, scrape, spot

Related Entry: Balls of wax (phrase)

Balls of wax is a different word from Wax. The synonyms below are for balls of wax, not for wax.

  1. something to be dealt with

    "We've moved all the boxes, but the furniture's another ball of wax."

    similar: affairs, businesses, matters, things
    related: considerations, issues, problems, crises, crossroads, crunches, emergencies, exigencies, flash points, heads, junctures, straits, zero hours, concerns, troubles, worries, care, lookouts, responsibilities, deadlocks, halts, impasses, stalemates, standstills, corners, fixes, holes, hot waters, jams, pickles, pinches, predicaments, scrapes, spots

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Wax

The most common words with a similar meaning to Wax:

Slang: smoke
grease, lubricate, oil, slick, annihilate, blow away, bomb, bury, clobber, cream, drub, dust, flatten, paste, rout, shellac, skin, skunk, smother, snow under, thrash, trim, tromp, trounce, wallop, whip, whomp, whop, whup, beat the pants off, eat alive, run circles around, wipe the floor with, accelerate, accumulate, appreciate, balloon, boom, build up, burgeon

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Wax

Words with the opposite meaning of Wax:

contract, decrease, diminish, dwindle, lessen, recede, wane

Related Words for Wax

bathe, douse, drench, soak, souse, wash, water, wet, sweep, upset, beat, best, conquer, dispatch, hurdle, lick, master, overbear, overcome, overmatch, prevail (over), subdue, surmount, take, throw, triumph (over), win (against), worst, crush, knock off

Near Antonyms of Wax

coarsen, rough, roughen, dehydrate, dry, parch, sear, abide, be, continue, linger, remain, stay

Word Forms of Wax

Inflections: waxed, waxing, waxes

Derived words: waxlike (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Wax

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

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Wax

wax bean, wax light, wax moth, wax museum, wax myrtle

Frequently Asked Questions about Wax

What does "Wax" mean?

"Wax" means 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. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: 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. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Wax"?

Other words for "Wax" include grease, lubricate, oil, slick, annihilate, blow away, bomb and bury. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Wax" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Wax"?

There are 150 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Wax". Common alternatives include grease, lubricate, oil, slick, annihilate, blow away, bomb, bury, clobber and cream.

What is the opposite of "Wax"?

Antonyms of "Wax" include contract, decrease, diminish, dwindle, lessen, recede and wane. Near antonyms include coarsen, rough, roughen and dehydrate.

How do you use "Wax" in a sentence?

Examples of "Wax" in a sentence: "waxing a surfboard"; "I can't believe I bet on a football team that ended up getting waxed 45-0"; "the commitment of the young volunteers to the cause seems to wax and wane".

Is "Wax" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Wax" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Wax"?

"Wax" is pronounced /ˈwaks/.

What is the origin of the word "Wax"?

"Wax" comes from Middle English, from Old English weax; akin to Old High German wahs wax, Lithuanian vaškas. First known use: before 12th century.