definitions

waiting

[ wey-ting ]
/ ˈweɪ tɪŋ /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR waiting ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a period of waiting; pause, interval, or delay.

adjective

serving or being in attendance: waiting man; waiting maid; waiting woman.

RELATED CONTENT

Hone In vs. Home InDoes a plane home in on a target or hone in on it? Does a musician hone her skills or home them? Are these two verbs interchangeable or do they have discrete meanings? Today we explore the origins and uses of hone and home. Hone entered English as a noun for a pointed rock used as a landmark. In the 1400s, it began to be …
READ MORE
Super Spooky Night Time WordsRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

postponed, delayed, negotiated, protracted, prolonged, retarded, charged, remanded, stalled, scrubbed, renegotiated, indebted

Nearby words

waitangi tribunal, waite, waite, morrison remick, waiter, waitering, waiting, waiting for godot, waiting game, waiting in the wings, waiting list, waiting period

Idioms

    in waiting, in attendance, as upon a royal personage.

Origin of waiting

1150–1200; Middle English (noun); see wait, -ing1, -ing2
Related formswait·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Idioms and Phrases with in waiting

in waiting

In attendance, especially on a royal personage. For example, The prelates who were in waiting asked him to take the last rites. This usage has become less common with the diminution of royalty and royal courts but still survives. [Late 1600s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.