From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwaxwax1 /wæks/ ●●○ noun [uncountable] 1 TIa solid substance made of fat or oil and used to make candles, polish etc wax crayons → beeswax2 HBHa natural sticky substance in your ears
Examples from the Corpus
wax• Posed him in a uniform with a musket in front of a wax image of General Washington.• Christmas ribbon and wax fruit can be added for colour.• We put a layer of wax down on the floor.• The solid wax gives heavier protection.• We also lost many recordings: the wax masters could be broken.waxwax2 verb 1 [transitive]DHC to rub a layer of wax into a floor, surface etc to protect it or make it shine2 → wax sentimental/eloquent/lyrical etc3 [intransitive]DNHA when the moon waxes, it seems to get bigger each night OPP wane4 → wax and wane5 [transitive]DCB if you wax your legs, arms etc, you remove the hair from them using wax→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
wax• Price-sensitivity is waxing and brand-loyalty waning.• Other than the dark, waxed limousine, the space was devoid of furniture.• Domestic Edam cheeses are waxed or have other tightly adhering coating that may be red or another color.• Silent Scream attempts to do the same for Larry Winters, a Glaswegian murderer who waxed poetic behind bars before topping himself.• He had not the stomach, literally, to wax serious about such things today.• Bricks should be sealed with a masonry stabiliser, while wood should be waxed, varnished or painted.Origin wax1 Old English weax wax2 1. (1300-1400) → WAX12. Old English weaxan “to grow”