wait on

British  

verb

1. to serve at the table of

2. to act as an attendant or servant to

3. archaic to visit

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interjection

1. stop! hold on!

wait on Idioms  

1. 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]

2. Make a formal call on, as in They waited on the ambassador . [c. 1500]

3. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wait on

Dozens of families of the missing wait on top of mountains of debris where the OPP buildings once stood.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

The Department of Homeland Security said these asylum seekers must wait on the Mexican side of the border until they could return for a scheduled interview.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

The central bank delivered three consecutive 25 basis-point increases beginning in February, before pausing this month to wait on further economic data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

After also being forced to wait on the fairway, McIlroy stuck his approach to the green well below the hole and exasperatedly moaned about how long he was having to wait between shots.

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

I walk over to the G train so I can hop on the L back into my part of Brooklyn, and I scroll through Instagram on my phone while I wait on the platform.

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi