wait up
Britishverb
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to delay going to bed in order to await some event
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informal to halt and pause in order that another person may catch up
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Postpone going to bed in anticipation of someone or something, as in My parents always wait up until I get home, no matter how late it is . [Mid-1800s]
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Stop or pause so that another can catch up, as in Let's wait up for the stragglers , or Don't walk so fast; wait up for me . [ Colloquial ]
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.
This year Coachella replaced its first come first-come, first-served system for campers with a reservation-style programme, forcing attendees to wait up to 12 hours in their vehicles in scorching desert temperatures with limited facilities.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2025
Patients who believe they were harmed by a disgraced brain surgeon will have to wait up to two years to find out whether he will face criminal charges.
From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2025
During Smithers’ trial, a receptionist testified that patients would wait up to 12 hours to see Smithers, who sometimes kept his office open past midnight.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
She’s been denied a mortgage and several other loans, while many of her employees have had to wait up to two weeks for their paychecks to clear.
From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2023
I say I’ll wait up first and Viola can barely say good night before she’s out.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
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.
