can't wait

Idioms

Be very eager, anxious, or impatient, as in We can't wait for the baseball season to begin or I can't wait to see Dad—it's been a year. While the literal sense of being unable to wait (for lack of time) is much older, this figurative usage dates only from about 1930.

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:

can't wait

From Jack London comes a kick in the ribs: “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026

“Thank you so, so much to everyone who ordered a copy—I can’t wait for you guys to read this book!!!”

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

"Shopkeepers can't wait for Saturday to be over," Di Crescenzo told broadcaster France Inter on Friday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

"Music is a vital element of our cultural lifeblood, and we can't wait to welcome 6 Music listeners to learn more about how vibrant the city has become."

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

“I can’t wait to play with him. Maybe I can come over this weekend?”

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023