wax
- noun
- /wæks/
- After the party, there was a lot of melted wax on the table.
- a wax figure
- a wax museum
- a wax seal
So this is the sound of a wax candle being lit.
- So this is the sound of a wax candle being lit.
- But I think there's a little hair in that wax right there.
- So I wear earplugs, like just soft wax earplugs to bed.
Examples
-
I mean, the wax has melted onto the candy.
-
Some services promise to clear ear wax but should be avoided.
-
Once we even did a wax museum, which was a lot of fun for the students.
Academic text (2013) -
Get the wax out of your ears.
-
How about a wash and wax?
-
So this is the sound of a wax candle being lit.
-
That is the biggest build up of candle wax I've ever seen.
-
I do wax rubbings of all the tombstones.
-
The artist used colorful wax to create a vibrant sculpture.
-
The children enjoyed making candles from wax at the workshop.
Idioms
Compounds
White solid made from oil in the ground used to make candles and preserve or coat things
- US
A shrub or small tree with fragrant leaves and small berries with a shiny covering
- Specialized
A hard plant wax from the leaves of a shrub used in cosmetics, food, and polishes
- Specialized
A natural waxy mineral found with oil used to make candles and other wax products
- Indian
A natural material that Indian and African bees make and people use for candles and cosmetics
- Specialized
A hard cream-colored wax from a fig tree in Java that people use in cosmetics and polishes
- Specialized
A natural wax from plantain leaves that gives a shiny, water resistant coating
- Specialized
Partly refined paraffin wax made when oil is processed and used in industry
- Specialized
A hard natural wax removed from shellac and used in polishes and cosmetics
A climbing plant with thick, shiny leaves and clusters of pink and white star-shaped flowers
- Specialized
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 Hard
Surface Forms
Etymology
Wax for the substance comes from Old English weax, and it named the soft material bees make to build their honeycomb. It does not mix with water, which is why we still use wax for candles, polish, and other things that need a protective or shiny cover.