Showing Results for "waiting"

See Also:

• present participle of wait.

waiting

American  

[wey-ting] / ˈweɪ tɪŋ /

noun

1. a period of waiting; pause, interval, or delay.

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adjective

1. serving or being in attendance.

   waiting man;

   waiting maid;

   waiting woman.

idioms

1. in waiting, in attendance, as upon a royal personage.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• waitingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of waiting

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English (noun); see wait, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Explanation

The act of standing by without acting as you anticipate a future event or time is waiting. Waiting can be agonizing, especially waiting for something vitally important, like election results — or your birthday. The word waiting is a noun used for a kind of action that's characterized by inaction or delay: "Generations of waiting produced no change in a city's discriminatory policies, so citizens planned a protest march." It's also a useful adjective, for things like waiting rooms, waiting lists, and waiting periods. In the old days the word was also used for certain servants, lords or ladies "in waiting" who waited on their employers.

Example Sentences

Samuel Beckett’s absurdist masterpiece, Waiting for Godot, tells the story of two friends who gather next to a barren tree, hoping to meet a man who never actually arrives.

From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026

Waiting staff across the US agree, and some are complaining if they think they have not been sufficiently tipped.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Waiting until you turn 70 is a status move in itself.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

Waiting for him were Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes and Reggie Smith, the heart of a lineup that would win a World Series a season later.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

Waiting for the full might of the Warsaw Pact forces.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Related Words

• accessible
• apt
• handy
• qualified
• ripe