wait on
Britishverb
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to serve at the table of
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to act as an attendant or servant to
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archaic to visit
interjection
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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]
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Make a formal call on, as in They waited on the ambassador . [c. 1500]
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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.
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.
I want it so nobody ever has to wait on line ever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
In other words, the housing market is feeling the blow from rising mortgage rates, as buyers have found another reason to wait on the sidelines.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
But in April, after eight hours of lying in wait on the beach then standing in the water, he and others boarded a small vessel unspotted, and headed across the sea.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
As fans wait on tenterhooks for more health updates, many are celebrating the fundraising win.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Oh, Lucy, Lucy, I cannot be angry with you, nor can I be angry with my friend whose happiness is yours; but I must only wait on hopeless and work.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
