Synonyms

wait and see

Idioms

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.”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Local shopkeepers can only watch and wait and see how long it will take before the restrictions are lifted.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 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

"I think we really just have to wait and see," Judge said.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

Still, for now the president can afford to wait and see how mounting pressure affects the Iranian side.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Since it was beneath his dignity to wait and see that I actually followed his order, I was by not budging free of him a moment later.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023