await
Americanverb (used with object)
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to wait for; expect; look for.
He is still awaiting an answer.
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to be in store for; be imminent.
A pleasant surprise awaits her in today's mail.
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Obsolete. to lie in wait for.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to wait for; expect
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(tr) to be in store for
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(intr) to wait, esp with expectation
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obsolete (tr) to wait for in order to ambush
Usage
What are other ways to say await?
To await something is to wait for it or look for it expectantly. How is await different from anticipate, hope, and expect? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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awaitsimple
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awaitssimple
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have awaitedperfect
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has awaitedperfect
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am awaitingprogressive
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are awaitingprogressive
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is awaitingprogressive
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have been awaitingperfect progressive
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has been awaitingperfect progressive
Past
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awaitedsimple
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had awaitedperfect
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was awaitingprogressive
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were awaitingprogressive
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had been awaitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of await
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English awaiten, from Old North French awaitier (Old French aguaitier ), equivalent to a- a- 5 + waitier wait
Explanation
To await is to anticipate or look forward to something. If you're hoping to get a letter from your pen pal, you'll eagerly await the mail carrier's arrival every afternoon. When you await a phone call, you might sit by the telephone at home or keep your cell phone in your hand. A prisoner who awaits trial is biding his time until his case comes before a judge. Sometimes await implies that some particular outcome is in store for someone: "A terrible surprise awaits her, when she gets home and sees that her dog ate the sofa."
Vocabulary lists containing await
Vocabulary from Readings 4, Unit 1
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Vocabulary from Readings 4, Unit 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Rochelle Garza represented asylum-seekers who had to await their hearings in Mexico.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
To underline what will await the teams, the two hottest games in the group stage were both in Miami.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
This is not the freezer as bunker, or the freezer as punishment, or the freezer as the place where leftovers go to await their eventual quiet disposal.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Now we await a reprise of her jeans and white T-shirt red carpet look from last year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
"No need for you to worry about her, little darling. Go on and change. The staff await you in the bathing chamber."
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
The defending European champion, with its endless pipeline of talent, now awaits the winner of England vs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Madonna walks back into the past one final time on the album’s closing track, “L.E.S. Girl,” fondly calling her last days before superstardom, where the memory of a long-lost love with dirty hair awaits her.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
What does next Scotland head coach look like as 'monster job' awaits?
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
But Mexican authorities remain convinced that U.S. officials outsourced the kidnapping and rendition of Zambada, who has pleaded guilty to smuggling-related charges and awaits sentencing in the United States.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
I think about what awaits me at home.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
Phillips was placed back on dialysis as she awaited a transplant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Grecia's body, located Thursday, was taken by her father to be cremated in Caracas, while Víctor awaited the remains of his nephews and brother-in-law.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
When Faruqui first opened the collection in Kolkata, he had little idea what awaited him.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
The DXY dollar index fell, and ING said that the currency’s falls were likely to remain modest after the U.S. and Iran agreed an interim peace deal and traders awaited Wednesday’s Fed decision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
A sea peril next awaited them—the passage between Scylla and Charybdis.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
The moratorium applies to new facilities with capacities of at least 50 megawatts and halts projects still awaiting a permit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The deal has been cleared by overseas regulatory bodies including Australia and China but is still awaiting approval from the U.K. and the European Union.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Anna says she's awaiting more information from the liquidators.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The helipad is situated on the South Lawn, where presidents and their family for decades have been photographed strolling across the grass to board or exit awaiting "Marine One" helicopters.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
There were Lexie and Trip and Moody, perched on the hood of Lexie’s car across the street, watching their parents, awaiting instruction.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
