wait on

British  

verb

1. to serve at the table of

2. to act as an attendant or servant to

3. archaic to visit

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interjection

1. stop! hold on!

wait on Idioms  

1. Also, wait upon . Serve, minister to, especially for personal needs or in a store or restaurant. For example, Guests at the Inn should not expect to be waited on—they can make their own beds and get their own breakfast . [Early 1500s]

2. Make a formal call on, as in They waited on the ambassador . [c. 1500]

3. Also, wait upon . Await, remain in readiness for, as in We're waiting on their decision to close the school . This usage, a synonym of wait for , dates from the late 1600s but in the mid-1800s began to be criticized by many authorities. However, by the late 1900s it had come into increasingly wider use and is again largely accepted.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wait on

In other words, the housing market is feeling the blow from rising mortgage rates, as buyers have found another reason to wait on the sidelines.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

But in April, after eight hours of lying in wait on the beach then standing in the water, he and others boarded a small vessel unspotted, and headed across the sea.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

The 508-yard, par-4 had played as the most difficult hole of the tournament, and Fox faced a long wait on the tee box as he sat tied with Young.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

The Department of Homeland Security said these asylum seekers must wait on the Mexican side of the border until they could return for a scheduled interview.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

I soon knew that I wanted to do more than wait on customers and keep the accounts.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom