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# waning

verb form (wane, wanes, waned, waning); adjective (a waning moon)

«waning» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Waning is the -ing form of «wane»: getting smaller or weaker little by little. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/#m1)
2. The waning moon is the moon in the part of its cycle after the full moon, when the lit-up part we see gets smaller each night. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/#m2)
3. Interest, light, strength or power that is waning is slowly fading away. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science lessons the phases of the moon are «waxing» (growing) and «waning» (shrinking); a waning crescent comes just before the new moon. In everyday life and stories it describes something fading: waning light at dusk, waning interest, waning energy at the end of a long day. Phrases: «waning moon», «waning crescent», «waning gibbous», «on the wane».

### Examples

- Tonight the moon is waning, so it looks thinner. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/#x1)
- A waning crescent rises late at night. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/#x2)
- The light was waning as we walked home. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/#x3)
- His interest in the game was waning after an hour. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/#x4)
- By the end of the race her energy was waning. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/#x5)
- The storm was waning, and the rain grew softer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/#x6)
- After the full moon comes the waning gibbous moon. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/#x7)
- The king's power was on the wane. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/#x8)
- ‘Make one more struggle; it is nearly over now,’ said the horse, seeing that Petru’s strength was waning fast. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/#x9)

### Note

Opposite: waxing (growing). The moon itself does not change size; we just see less of its sunlit side. «Wane» is mainly used about the moon, light and feelings, not about objects you could measure with a ruler. Do not mix with «warning» (telling someone about danger) — they look alike.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «waning» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/waning/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«waning» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/waning.html) on Mova free.