What does it mean when someone says the moon is waxing or waning?

Answer 1

The moon waxes when the amount you can see increases in size. The waxing moon lasts from a new moon to a full moon. Waning is when the illuminated part of the moon decreases in size. This happens during the time when a full moon becomes a new moon.

Answer 2

Both are olde English words that have gone out of use, which is exactly why this

question is asked so often.

Waxing . . . growing/increasing as time passes.

Waning . . . shrinking/decreasing as time passes.

They're used to refer to the visible shape of the moon. For the first two weeks

after the New Moon, you'll see more of the moon tomorrow than you can see

today. And then, for the two weeks before the next New Moon, you'll see less

of the moon each day.

Answer 3

Those are words that aren't used much any more to express what they used to.

Waxing . . . growing. From New Moon until Full Moon, the size of the moon's

illuminated portion is steadily growing.

Waning . . . shrinking. From Full Moon until the next New Moon, the size of the moon's

illuminated portion is steadily shrinking.

Answer 4

When the moon is waxing, it means it is getting bigger and brighter each night as it moves towards a full moon. When the moon is waning, it means it is getting smaller and less bright each night as it moves towards a new moon.

Answer 5

waxing means near the full moon and waning means near the new moon