waiting period

American  

noun

1. a specified delay, required by law, between officially stating an intention and acting on it, as between securing a marriage license and getting married.

2. Insurance. the required delay between the date of inception of a claim and the date on which the indemnity becomes payable, as in workmen's compensation insurance or unemployment insurance.

---

Example Sentences

If I do change to transfer-on-death, is there a lookback or waiting period as far as the Internal Revenue Service is concerned?

From MarketWatch • Jan. 15, 2026

The Finland-born 26-year-old married Mitrofanov, a Wisconsin native, in 2024, but the waiting period for citizenship after marriage is at least three years.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

But Catherine says introducing a mandatory waiting period would be pointless as the wait times for a driving test are already so long.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

Because of its size, the Compass-Anywhere deal is subject to an antitrust review waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.

From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026

But it was obvious that the waiting period would have to be extended in those cases where an animal’s intelligence had been increased two or three times.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes