waiting period
Americannoun
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a specified delay, required by law, between officially stating an intention and acting on it, as between securing a marriage license and getting married.
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“For example, when an opportunity comes up like this, what would be your price point? Is there a waiting period before you click ‘buy’ on SeatGeek?”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 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
The antitrust review waiting period for the Compass and Anywhere merger expired, signaling progress toward combining the two largest U.S. brokerages.
From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026
When the waiting period was up, they tried again.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
