waive
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to refrain from claiming or insisting on; give up; forgo.
to waive one's right;
to waive one's rank;
to waive honors.
- Antonyms:
- demand
-
Law. to relinquish (a known right, interest, etc.) intentionally.
-
to put aside for the time; defer; dispense with.
to waive formalities.
-
to put aside or dismiss from consideration or discussion.
waiving my attempts to explain.
verb
-
to set aside or relinquish
to waive one's right to something
-
to refrain from enforcing (a claim) or applying (a law, penalty, etc)
-
to defer
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have waivedperfect
-
has waivedperfect 3rd person singular
-
is waivingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
has been waivingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been waivingperfect progressive
-
waivessingular 3rd person
-
waivingparticiple
-
are waivingprogressive
-
am waivingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
-
had waivedperfect
-
was waivingprogressive singular
-
waivedparticiple
-
were waivingprogressive plural
-
had been waivingperfect progressive
-
waivedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of waive
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English weyven, from Anglo-French weyver “to make a homeless child (of someone) by forsaking or outlawing (that person)”; see waif ( def. )
Explanation
To waive is to give up one's right to do something. If you waive your right to help name your family's new puppy, you can't complain if he ends up being called "Mr. Tinkerbell Sweetheart Lovey-Face." Waive comes from a Middle English word meaning to abandon; the word waif, which refers to a neglected or orphaned child, shares the same root. However, while abandoning a child on a street corner is not okay, waiving one's right to do something is in most cases perfectly acceptable. A document stating one's decision to give up one's rights is appropriately called a waiver.
Vocabulary lists containing waive
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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American Football, 3rd Quarter
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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.
Waive federal portion of taxes on the construction of new affordable housing units.
From Reuters • Sep. 20, 2021
Airlines Waive Change Fees Because of Hurricane Sandy We all grumble about airlines and their increasingly creative fees.
From New York Times • Dec. 11, 2012
Waive, Washington, all scruples waive, And fly, with all your chivalry!
From War Poetry of the South by Various
Seek not thy honour here; Waive pleasure and renown; The world's dread scoff undaunted bear, And face its deadliest frown.
From Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell by Brontë, Charlotte
"Waive that, a moment," said Mr. Jaggers, "and ask another."
From Great Expectations by Dickens, Charles
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.
