waive

American  

[wayv] / weɪv /

verb (used with object)

• waives,
  present (3rd person singular)
• waived,
  past participle,  past
• waiving
  present participle

1. to refrain from claiming or insisting on; give up; forgo.

   to waive one's right;

   to waive one's rank;

   to waive honors.

   Synonyms:

   surrender, renounce, resign

   Antonyms:

   demand

2. Law. to relinquish (a known right, interest, etc.) intentionally.

3. to put aside for the time; defer; dispense with.

   to waive formalities.

4. to put aside or dismiss from consideration or discussion.

   waiving my attempts to explain.

---

waive British  

/ weɪv /

verb

1. to set aside or relinquish

   to waive one's right to something

2. to refrain from enforcing (a claim) or applying (a law, penalty, etc)

3. to defer

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• waiving
  present
• waived
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• waive
  simple
• waives
  simple
• have waived
  perfect
• has waived
  perfect
• am waiving
  progressive
• are waiving
  progressive
• is waiving
  progressive
• have been waiving
  perfect progressive
• has been waiving
  perfect progressive

Past

• waived
  simple
• had waived
  perfect
• was waiving
  progressive
• were waiving
  progressive
• had been waiving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will waive
  simple
• will have waived
  perfect
• will be waiving
  progressive
• will have been waiving
  perfect progressive

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

waive waives waived waiving

The state Department of Public Health would be permitted to temporarily waive a clinic’s spending requirements in exceptional circumstances.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Hearn acknowledged that virtually every other party involved preferred New York, with Matchroom even exploring what compensation would be required to waive the UK clause.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

“I know how it feels to waive rent someone genuinely owes you,” he adds.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

See if the bank will waive or reduce it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

“I waive shifgrethor,” said Yegey, “what are you getting at, Estraven?”

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

These are temporary periods in late summer when a state waives or reduces taxes on items such as school supplies, clothes or electronics to help families cut their back-to-school costs.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

The agreement also waives banking and transport sanctions to facilitate oil sales, people familiar with the pact said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

So she sued under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which waives the U.S. government’s immunity from certain lawsuits.

From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2026

Executive Order 1 requires city departments to complete project reviews within 30 days from when a complete application is submitted and waives discretionary hearings under zoning rules, among other efforts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2025

Some Argie diplomat in New York, still harping on about the Belgrano being outside the zone, said Britain no longer rules the waves, it just waives the rules.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Instead, he has waived his entire claim in order to have a "complete economic walk-away".

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

But on Friday morning, the Rams announced they had waived Smith.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Nichols waived her automatic right to anonymity in March when she made a Commons speech and described having to wait more than 1,000 days to go to court.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

With their resignations, The Icahn Group also waived its right to appoint replacement directors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram runs an editorial praising Attorney General Tom Clark, who waived immigration restrictions to give Joey passage.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

This would include waiving of taxes on animal feed inputs, as well as "active retail price monitoring to deter opportunity price gouging and rationing".

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Some sellers reported having to sign clauses waiving their right to compensation in the event of a drone strike on warehouse facilities.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

These are the full expense ratios except for four of the funds, which are temporarily waiving some expenses:

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026

“By agreeing to this settlement, and waiving their right to appeal, Justin Baldoni and every individual defendant now face personal liability for abusing the legal system to silence and intimidate Ms. Lively,” the attorneys said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

The judge warned Joe repeatedly that a guilty plea meant waiving his right to a trial, his right to testify, and his right to appeal her ruling.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• abandon
• allow
• defer
• forgo
• grant
• hand over
• postpone
• put off
• reject
• relinquish
• remove
• renounce
• set aside
• shelve
• surrender
• suspend
• turn over

---