hurry up and wait

Idioms

Move quickly and then have to wait for something or someone. For example, We did our share in good time, but the others were several days behind so we couldn't finish—it was another case of hurry up and wait. This expression dates from the 1940s and probably originated in the armed services.

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.

Meanwhile, a Carolina Federation organizer briefed attendees on the party's call to action for the evening: "hurry up and wait."

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2025

For the candidates, it could be a case of hurry up and wait.

From Washington Times • Jul. 19, 2022

If nothing else, attendees flying Southwest can count this time as good practice for the hurry up and wait atmosphere awaiting them outside Hall H.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 20, 2016

The orders come thick and fast: get off the plane, get on the bus, hurry up and wait.

From BBC • Jul. 31, 2012

After more than a year in Washington, she learned how the massive Washington machinery functioned and why it crawled with a hurry up and wait engine.

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Schwartau, Winn

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