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to wax

to wax

62 3.8
Cover something with wax to protect and make it shine
  • verb
  • /wæks/
translation icon : encerar
  • Boy, did he keep that car waxed until it gleamed.
  • waxed paper
  • waxed cardboard
  • waxed cloth

Examples

  • She decided to wax the wooden table to give it a nice shine.

  • Ultimately, after rinsing the floors with clean water, we waxed and buffed them.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Probably have you wax a car or something.

  • Actually, I never ever wax my upper lip.

  • I'd wash and wax the car, and she would grade her papers and cook and spend the rest of the day reading.

  • What'd you do, wax your whole face?

  • Floors are to be washed and waxed.

  • Toni liked the kitchen, which was spacious, with waxed green linoleum on the floor and wainscoting painted white.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I need to wax the car to protect the paint from scratches.

  • Before winter, it's a good idea to wax your skis for better performance.

Synonyms

to glaze
vsto wax
33 4.2

To cover a surface with a smooth shiny liquid that dries hard, for example on food or pottery

is mainly a polishing and protective rubbing treatment for many solid items
to surface
vsto wax
15 4.3

To cover something with a new outer layer

is specifically a rubbing or coating process using a soft polishing substance
to lacquer
vsto wax
8 6.4

To cover something with a hard shiny coating to protect it and make it shine

is typically a softer polish applied by rubbing rather than a hard quick coating
to varnish
vsto wax
5 4.2

To put a clear hard shiny layer on wood to protect it and make it shine

is similar but usually uses softer polish materials rather than liquid layers
to enamel
vsto wax
3 6.5

To cover a surface with a hard shiny layer for protection or decoration

is usually a softer protective polish rather than a hard decorative layer
to shellac
vsto wax
  • Specialized
1 7.8

Cover something with a shiny protective finish made from a natural hard substance

is a broader polishing treatment not limited to resin finishes
to gloss
vsto wax
1 4.0

To make a surface smooth and shiny by rubbing or polishing

is about applying a coating substance to both protect and add shine
to Simonize
vsto wax
  • US
1 9.9

To polish a car or bike with wax to make it shiny and protect it

is the general coating treatment applied to many objects, not only vehicles
to glass
vsto wax
1 8.1

To give a smooth shiny surface by adding a glossy coat

is a treatment that uses a substance to polish and protect, not only to mimic shine
to beeswax
vsto wax
8.0

To cover a surface with beeswax to protect it and make it shine

is a general coating process rather than a specific natural product use

Antonyms

146 2.8

Make something visible by removing a cover or letting light reach it

42 2.7

Remove all covering or contents from an object so it is left bare

Idioms

2 7.1

All the parts and activities of a project or situation

as close as wax
  • Archaic
9.9

People who are very close and share secrets and feelings

to wax the dolphin
  • Offensive
9.9

To touch your own penis to get sexual pleasure

Phrasal Verbs

to wax poetic
  • Informal
4 8.8

To speak or write in a long, emotional way using strong images

Compounds

6 2.5

A thin paper covered in wax used to wrap or line food

3 3.7

A life-size statue made of wax that looks like a real person

1 2.5

A waxy liquid used to make floors shine and last longer

1 4.3

White solid made from oil in the ground used to make candles and preserve or coat things

1 7.7

A soft material warmed to close letters that breaks when opened

ski wax
  • UK
1 2.9

A substance you put on the bottom of skis to help them glide on snow

1 3.1

A yellow bean with edible pods eaten as a vegetable

1 7.9

A shrub or small tree with fragrant leaves and small berries with a shiny covering

8.9

A green, fragrant material made from the bayberry plant used to make candles

candelilla wax
  • Specialized
9.9

A hard plant wax from the leaves of a shrub used in cosmetics, food, and polishes

A hard yellowish wax from a palm used to make surfaces shiny and protect them

earth wax
  • Specialized
9.9

A natural firm material found near oil that is used to make candles

A hot sticky product put on the skin and pulled off to remove hair

ader wax
  • Specialized
9.9

A natural waxy mineral found with oil used to make candles and other wax products

fig wax
  • UK
9.9

A hard pale wax from fig tree leaves in Java used in polishes and cosmetics

A new layer of wax put on a surface to make it shine

lac wax
  • Specialized
9.9

A hard natural wax made when shellac is treated with alcohol

mineral wax
  • Specialized
6.3

A waxy substance found with oil underground and used to make candles

montan wax
  • Specialized
9.6

A hard wax from a type of coal used in polishes and industrial products

ghedda wax
  • Indian
9.9

A natural material that Indian and African bees make and people use for candles and cosmetics

gondang wax
  • Specialized
9.9

A hard cream-colored wax from a fig tree in Java that people use in cosmetics and polishes

Japan wax
  • Archaic
9.9

A yellowish wax made from sumac berries and used for candles and polish

pisang wax
  • Specialized
9.9

A natural wax from plantain leaves that gives a shiny, water resistant coating

scale wax
  • Specialized
9.7

Partly refined paraffin wax made when oil is processed and used in industry

shellac wax
  • Specialized
8.9

A hard natural wax removed from shellac and used in polishes and cosmetics

A firm, oily material from plants used in polishes and cosmetics

A small stick of colored wax used for drawing or coloring by children

wax insect
  • Specialized
9.3

An insect that makes a wax layer on its body to protect itself

6.2

A stick of wax with a wick that gives light

A small garden plant with shiny leaves and groups of red, pink or white flowers

A tropical plant with bright, bell-shaped flowers like a hibiscus

8.3

A moth whose young caterpillars eat the honeycomb in beehives and damage bee colonies

wax-chandler
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who makes and sells wax candles

7.9

A tall palm tree from South America whose trunk gives wax for candles and polish

6.7

A climbing plant with thick, shiny leaves and clusters of pink and white star-shaped flowers

wax-myrtle family
  • Specialized
9.3

A group of flowering shrubs and small trees with scented leaves often in wetlands

A small evergreen tree with shiny pointed leaves and long upright flower clusters

How Coated

to seal
457 2.5
varnish
12 4.4
to wax
62 3.8
to coat
105 2.8
to smear
63 3.7

Surface Forms

wax infinitive
waxed past
waxed past participle
waxing present participle
waxes third person singular

Etymology

Wax meaning 'to cover with wax' comes from the older noun wax, the soft substance bees make, and people began to use that noun as a verb for the action of putting the substance on things. So to wax your skis or car is simply to 'put wax on' them to protect or polish them.