wait

1 of 2

verb

ˈwāt 

waited; waiting; waits

transitive verb

1

: to stay in place in expectation of : await

waited the result of the advertisement

—W. M. Thackeray

wait your turn

2

: to delay serving (a meal)

3

: to serve food and drinks to the people sitting at : to act as a server for

wait tables

intransitive verb

1

a

: to remain stationary in readiness or expectation

wait for a train

b

: to pause for another to catch up

—usually used with up

2

a

: to look forward expectantly

just waiting to see his rival lose

b

: to hold back expectantly

waiting for a chance to strike

3

: to serve at meals

—usually used in such phrases as wait on tables or wait on table

4

a

: to be ready and available

slippers waiting by the bed

b

: to remain temporarily neglected or unrealized

the chores can wait

5

: pause, stop

—used to preface an interjected question, correction, etc.

"Wait, Mom. Wait. What did you say?" I said. "He left you what?"

—Frederick Busch

So wait, what's so bad about wanting to eat right?

—Annie Daly

Can wait on mean 'to wait for'?: Usage Guide

American dialectologists have evidence showing wait on (sense 3) to be more a Southern than a Northern form in speech. Handbook writers universally denigrate wait on and prescribe wait for in writing. Our evidence from printed sources does not show a regional preference; it does show that the handbooks' advice is not based on current usage.

settlement of the big problems still waited on Russia

—Time

I couldn't make out … whether Harper was waiting on me for approval

—E. B. White

the staggering bill that waited on them at the white commissary downtown

—Maya Angelou

One reason for the continuing use of wait on may lie in its being able to suggest protracted or irritating waits better than wait for.

for two days I've been waiting on weather

—Charles A. Lindbergh

the boredom of black Africans sitting there, waiting on the whims of a colonial bureaucracy

—Vincent Canby

doesn't care to sit around waiting on a House that's virtually paralyzed

—Glenn A. Briere

Wait on is less common than wait for, but if it seems natural, there is no reason to avoid it.

wait

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a hidden or concealed position

—used chiefly in the expression lie in wait

b

: a state or attitude of watchfulness and expectancy

anchored in wait for early morning fishing

—Fred Zimmer

2

a

: one of a band of public musicians in England employed to play for processions or public entertainments

b(1)

: one of a group who serenade for gratuities especially at the Christmas season

(2)

: a piece of music by such a group

3

: an act or period of waiting

a long wait in line

Phrases

wait on or less commonly wait upon

1

a

: to attend as a servant

b

: to supply the wants of : serve

2

: to make a formal call on

3

: to wait for

wait up

: to delay going to bed : stay up

Synonyms

Verb

• await
• bide
• hold on
• stay

Noun

• delay
• detainment
• detention
• holdback
• holding pattern
• holdup

Examples of wait in a Sentence

Verb

I hate waiting in long lines.

They waited at the train station together.

You should have waited a little longer. He showed up right after you left.

I don't have time to wait around. If he's not here in five minutes, I'm leaving.

She waited behind after class to talk to the professor.

I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. How may I help you?

I waited and waited but he never showed up.

Wait! Don't start the engine yet.

We waited for the sun to set before starting the fire.

I know she was happy when I lost my job. She was waiting to see me fail.

Noun

there was a long wait for the manager to come and help us

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Almost half of the containers bound by freight rail out of the Port of Los Angeles are waiting nine-plus days to get out of the port and onto the rail. —Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2024

Marvel did not bring Downey into the backstage waiting area so all of his former co-stars remained in the dark. —Zack Sharf, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024

Noun

As to availability, Cybertruck deliveries appear to be more expeditious, especially compared to this spring when posted wait times were as far out as 2025. —Brooke Crothers, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024

In its disastrous second-quarter earnings report earlier this year, Starbucks also had a mid-teens percentage incompletion rate on mobile orders, with long wait times cited as one factor. —Paulina Likos, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French waiter, guaiter to watch over, await, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wahta watch, Old English wæccan to watch — more at wake

Noun

Middle English waite watchman, observation, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wahta watch

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing wait

• can hardly wait
• can't wait
• can't wait all day
• hurry up and wait
• Just wait until
• just (you) wait
• lie in wait
• wait a minute/moment/second
• wait at table
• wait for it
• wait in
• wait/just a minute
• wait/just a moment
• wait-list
• wait one's turn
• wait on (someone) hand and foot
• wait out
• wait tables
• wait until/till

Kids Definition

wait

1 of 2 verb

ˈwāt 

1

a

: to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something : await

wait your turn

wait for orders

b

: to pause to let someone catch up

hey, wait for me

2

: postpone, delay

wait dinner for a guest

3

: to serve as a waiter or waitress

wait tables

wait at a luncheon

wait

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: a hidden position : ambush

—used chiefly in the expression lie in wait

b

: a state of watchful expectation

2

: an act or period of waiting

a long wait in line