in waiting

Idioms  

1. 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]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in waiting

In terms of those in waiting, Maia Bouchier and Sophia Dunkley seem the most likely.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

If no one sparks a contest, then Burnham will be crowned Labour leader -- and prime minister in waiting -- at a special conference on July 17.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

Until earlier this month, the 56-year-old wasn’t even a member of parliament, let alone the prime minister in waiting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

Somehow, though, Sara Dosa’s documentary on this matter, “Time and Water,” avoids playing like a funeral in waiting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

Then his father would not have been away at the wars, or his mother in waiting upon the Queen.

From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli

Related Words

• delayed
• negotiated
• postponed