Synonyms of waxing

waxing 1 of 2

verb (1)

present participle of wax

1

as in greasing

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

waxing a surfboard

Synonyms & Similar Words

• greasing
• oiling
• washing
• wetting
• lubricating
• slicking
• bathing
• soaking
• watering
• drenching
• dousing
• sousing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• roughing
• drying
• roughening
• searing
• dehydrating
• coarsening
• parching

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• whipping
• trimming
• dusting
• overcoming
• burying
• bombing
• mastering
• flattening
• smoking
• upsetting
• thrashing
• beating
• routing
• pasting
• smothering
• creaming
• throwing
• annihilating
• skinning
• taking
• topping
• blowing away
• sweeping
• shellacking
• drubbing
• trouncing
• clobbering
• succeeding
• conquering
• whopping
• scoring
• tromping
• whupping
• exceeding
• overwhelming
• capping
• licking
• surpassing
• destroying
• skunking
• dispatching
• walloping
• running circles around
• whomping
• eating alive
• finishing
• beating the pants off
• snowing under
• crushing
• wiping the floor with
• subduing
• slaughtering
• subjugating
• vanquishing
• transcending
• surmounting
• prevailing (over)
• eclipsing
• winning (against)
• overthrowing
• hurdling
• outshining
• triumphing (over)
• knocking over
• overpowering
• besting
• bettering
• upending
• outstripping
• outdoing
• flourishing
• overbearing
• outdistancing
• excelling
• knocking off
• overmatching
• worsting
• edging (out)
• pipping
• overtopping
• breaking
• sinking
• outfighting
• doing in
• acing (out)
• nosing out

waxing

2 of 2

verb (2)

present participle of wax

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• increasing
• rising
• swelling
• accelerating
• expanding
• climbing
• intensifying
• multiplying
• mounting
• spreading
• mushrooming
• accumulating
• proliferating
• snowballing
• escalating
• booming
• enlarging
• surging
• gaining
• burgeoning
• rolling up
• ballooning
• appreciating
• jumping
• building up
• heightening
• skyrocketing
• rocketing
• peaking
• bulking
• redoubling
• distending
• puffing (up)
• cresting
• inflating
• crescendoing
• blowing up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• decreasing
• diminishing
• contracting
• waning
• lessening
• receding
• dwindling

2

as in becoming

to eventually have as a state or quality

waxed poetic whenever he wrote to his girlfriend

Synonyms & Similar Words

• becoming
• growing
• getting
• going
• coming
• turning
• running
• changing
• transforming
• modifying
• altering
• transfiguring
• metamorphosing
• transmuting
• mutating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• being
• remaining
• continuing
• staying
• lingering
• abiding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of waxing

Verb

With the benefit of hindsight, music journalists are now waxing nostalgic about more recent eras. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Tonight’s waxing gibbous moon will be nearly 90 percent illuminated. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 23 Sep. 2026

That year, the Perseids will peak in the glare of a waxing moon just four days from turning full, and the moonlight will hide many of the shower's fainter shooting stars. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026

The employees had been cleaning and waxing floors with rags soaked in cleaning or waxing solvents, disposing of the towels in a plastic trash can. — Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 21 Aug. 2026

The wild swings of recent weeks, driven by waxing and waning hopes for a lasting boost to corporate profits from artificial intelligence, have abated in the past several days. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

Today, restoration usually involves hiding blemishes with cosmetics or waxing over small abrasions. — John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

Yet despite his affinity for Wallace, none of Randolph’s waxing poetry turns false in the wash. — Caleb Otte, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026

Unveiling it early frees up Feige and company to either show off more exclusive footage or to spend the time waxing poetic about Infinity Vision. — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 23 July 2026