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

She spent nine hours waiting on a chair.

From BBC

NUH said the demand on its hospital beds had "exceeded all of our forecasted modelling", with patients having "unacceptable and lengthy waits on corridors".

From BBC

After more than six and a half hours at the crease, he later left the field holding his lower back, and England face an anxious wait on his condition.

From BBC

The Stowe family spent Christmas in a borrowed boat at the OverWater Marina, but are now looking for new lodgings while they wait on news about Pacemaker.

From BBC

So for six weeks, while she recovered, Riley’s wife, Caitlin, waited on her every need.

From Los Angeles Times