waxwork

American  

[waks-wurk] / ˈwæksˌwɜrk /

noun

1. a figure, ornament, or other object made of wax, or especially the life-size effigy of a person.

2. the bittersweet, Celastrus scandens.

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waxwork British  

/ ˈwæksˌwɜːk /

noun

1. an object reproduced in wax, esp as an ornament

2. a life-size lifelike figure, esp of a famous person, reproduced in wax

3. (plural; functioning as singular or plural) a museum or exhibition of wax figures or objects

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Other Word Forms

• waxworker noun

Etymology

Origin of waxwork

First recorded in 1690–1700; wax ¹ + work

Example Sentences

Later, in England, Little gains fame as the waxwork impresario Madame Tussaud.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

But she was also once a maker of waxwork likenesses on display at Madame Tussauds, including the late Queen's husband Prince Philip and former prime minister Sir Tony Blair among the models she made.

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026

Museum director Yves Delhommeau told the AFP news agency his staff planned to work "all night" to bring the waxwork in line with "fans' expectations".

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2023

They were clothed in imitation robes and regalia: waxwork monarchs in paste jewels, masters of all they surveyed.

From Washington Post • May 2, 2023

With some vague misgiving that she might get upon the table then and there and die at once, the complete realisation of the ghastly waxwork at the Fair, I shrank under her touch.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens