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

See Examples For:

wait and see

“When we wait and see, we are losing more students,” Pierson said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

He said he wanted to wait and see what more he learned from the Epstein files before making his annual decision on giving in late June.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

As a result, Fed officials are likely to wait and see how events unfold, especially with a U.S. election coming up.

From MarketWatch ● May 23, 2026

For fans wanting to experience some of that dream through a full tour of the new album, Peters says they'll have to "wait and see".

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

“You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?”

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff