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

Blair, a former lawyer who was preparing for a looming general election, was minded to wait and see what Lord Cullen's report found before committing to action.

From BBC

The BoE, which had been heavily backed to cut rates this month, is now expected to wait and see.

From BBC

Then Mr. Weiss said, "These are the facts, Bartok. What do you think we should do? Wait and see what happens? Gamble that you'll get well in a month or six weeks? What?"

From Literature

“For us, it’s a little bit of a wait and see.”

From The Wall Street Journal

And maybe, before anticipating or cheering failure, we could wait and see how it goes.

From The Wall Street Journal