wait and see

Idioms  

1. Bide one's time for events to run their course, as in Do you think they'll raise taxes?—We'll have to wait and see. This expression was first recorded in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719): “We had no remedy but to wait and see.” In Britain the phrase became associated with Prime Minister H.H. Asquith, who in 1910 so often said it to the opposition regarding an impending bill that he became known as “Old Wait and See.”

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Example Sentences

Most shipping companies will continue to wait and see if there is a tentative peace agreement and whether that might hold, Jensen says, and if that occurs, a slow ramping up of shipping may resume.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

The Reserve Bank of India governor said the monetary board had judged it prudent to wait and see how growth and inflation develop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

"It doesn't mean that I'm going to stay put for the rest of the year. I just want to wait and see where this goes," he said.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Then the team will have to wait and see what values the White House might share should it choose to commemorate the championship.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

“But let’s wait and see what it is before you start feeling guilty.”

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling