wait 1 of 2

as in to stay
to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something please wait here, and we'll seat you shortly

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wait

2 of 2

noun

as in delay
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business there was a long wait for the manager to come and help us

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples of wait in a Sentence

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Her speech in Pittsburgh was screened live to a waiting crowd in Philadelphia, where a final rally would mark the end of her hundred-and-seven-day campaign. The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024 The first state to open its doors to waiting voters was Vermont, at 5 a.m. EST. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
The Biden administration lifted pandemic-era restrictions on border crossings for such asylum-seekers with no federal plan for their resettlement during the years-long wait to have their cases heard. Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 4 Nov. 2024 New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) came in third with an average peak security wait of 53.2 minutes. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for wait 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wait
Verb
  • This is the same model that’s effective in the workplace or on a sports team—a leader who can stay true to their principles and who cares about other people’s feelings without being taken over by them.
    Becky Kennedy, TIME, 24 Oct. 2024
  • The new digital and social campaign amplifies the collection’s flexibility by highlighting five women with different professions and hobbies (a skateboarder, a pilates instructor, a roller skater and two dancers) who all need comfort and style to stay active in their day-to-day lives.
    Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • PCMag spoke to one reservation holder who cancelled their preorder after learning of the launch delay, unwilling to further delay their car purchase.
    Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Osborne said the delay at the Etris Community Center was roughly an hour, and voters were forced to wait outside until law enforcement officers cleared the building.
    Chris Boyette, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Perhaps the Army should have left the crater intact, so that more explicit evidence of the Trinity test, and its terrible power, would linger in the ground, just in case.
    Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2024
  • The camera lingers on the girl’s face before showing her photograph taped to a wall next to pictures of other kids in a dark, dingy-looking room where a laptop — apparently belonging to a child predator — has the same chat open.
    Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • The others were awaiting confirmation Tuesday afternoon of whether their power grid sections would be shut off.
    Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Foreign powers await the U.S. choice just as Americans do.
    Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • As the race for the White House remains a toss up, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have ramped up their courtship of a crucial voting bloc: young voters A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll found Harris leading Trump by 14 points among voters under 30 years old.
    Emily Chang, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2024
  • The Chinese economy remains too dependent on the United States and its partners to risk being heavily sanctioned for shipping arms to Putin.
    Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near wait

Cite this Entry

“Wait.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wait. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

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