Showing results for "waiting"

• 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

• 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

"There's parts of London where it would be sitting there until Christmas Day, if you're waiting for the road to be clear."

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

“While the overwhelming sense is that demand is still far exceeding supply, investors are waiting for Micron to indicate that is still the case.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

He advises buyers to give priority to income stability, budget constraints and long-term goals over waiting for a quarter-point rate drop that could quickly reverse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

Restricted stock units, or RSUs, are granted shares of company stock that officially belong to you only after a set waiting period, known as a vesting schedule.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026

Some women were already asleep after the long workday, but most were stirring about, some waiting for a turn at the toilets, others picking lice off themselves and their neighbors.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• accessible
• apt
• handy
• qualified
• ripe