wait
Americanverb (used without object)
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waits,
present (3rd person singular)
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waited,
past participle, past
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waiting
present participle
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to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens (often followed by for, till, oruntil ).
to wait for the bus to arrive.
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(of things) to be available or in readiness.
A letter is waiting for you.
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to remain neglected for a time.
a matter that can wait.
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to postpone or delay something or to be postponed or delayed.
We waited a week and then bought the house. Your vacation will have to wait until next month.
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to look forward to eagerly.
I'm just waiting for the day somebody knocks him down.
verb (used with object)
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waits,
present (3rd person singular)
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waited,
past participle, past
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waiting
present participle
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to continue in expectation of; await.
I sat nervously on the bench, waiting my turn to audition.
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to postpone or delay in expectation.
Don't wait supper for me.
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Archaic. (of things) to be in readiness for; be reserved for; await.
Glory waits thee.
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Archaic. to attend upon or escort, especially as a sign of respect.
noun
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waits
plural
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an act or instance of waiting or awaiting; delay; halt.
a wait at the border.
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a period or interval of waiting.
There will be a long wait between trains.
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Theater.
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the time between two acts, scenes, or the like.
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British.
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waits, (formerly) a band of musicians employed by a city or town to play music in parades, for official functions, etc.
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a street musician, especially a singer.
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one of a band of carolers.
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a piece sung by carolers, especially a Christmas carol.
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Obsolete. a watchman.
verb phrase
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wait up
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to postpone going to bed to await someone's arrival.
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Informal. to halt and wait for another to join one, as in running or walking.
Wait up, I can't walk so fast.
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wait on
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to perform the duties of an attendant or servant for.
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to supply the wants of a person, as serving a meal or serving a customer in a store.
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to call upon or visit (a person, especially a superior).
to wait on Her Majesty at the palace.
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Falconry. (of a hawk) to soar over ground until prey appears.
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Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. to wait for (a person); await.
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Also wait upon. to await (an event).
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idioms
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lie in wait, to wait in ambush.
The army lay in wait in the forest.
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wait table. table.
verb
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to stay in one place or remain inactive in expectation (of something); hold oneself in readiness (for something)
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to delay temporarily or be temporarily delayed
that work can wait
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(of things) to be in store (for a person)
success waits for you in your new job
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(intr) to act as a waiter or waitress
noun
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the act or an instance of waiting
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a period of waiting
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rare (plural) a band of musicians who go around the streets, esp at Christmas, singing and playing carols
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an interlude or interval between two acts or scenes in a play, etc
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to prepare an ambush (for someone)
Usage
Sometimes considered objectionable in standard usage, the idiom wait on meaning “to wait for, to await (a person)” is largely confined to speech or written representations of speech. It is most common in the Midland and Southern United States: Let's not wait on Rachel, she's always late. Wait on or upon (an event) does not have a regional pattern and occurs in a wide variety of contexts: We will wait on (or upon ) his answer and make our decision then. The completion of the merger waits upon news of a drop in interest rates.
Synonym Usage
Wait, tarry imply pausing to linger and thereby putting off further activity until later. Wait usually implies staying for a limited time and for a definite purpose, that is, for something expected: to wait for a train. Tarry is a somewhat archaic word for wait, but it suggests lingering, perhaps aimlessly delaying, or pausing (briefly) in a journey: to tarry on the way home; to tarry overnight at an inn.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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waitsimple
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waitssimple
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have waitedperfect
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has waitedperfect
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am waitingprogressive
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are waitingprogressive
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is waitingprogressive
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have been waitingperfect progressive
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has been waitingperfect progressive
Past
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waitedsimple
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had waitedperfect
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was waitingprogressive
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were waitingprogressive
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had been waitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wait
First recorded in 1150–1200; early Middle English verb waiten, from Anglo-French waitier; Old French guaitier, from Germanic; cognate with Old High German wahtēn “to watch,” derivative of wahta ”a watch” ( see wake 1)
Explanation
A wait is the time it takes for something to happen. The wait to get the brand new computer was four hours long, but it was worth it. The word wait originated in the 1200s, from the Old Northern French word waitier: "to watch with hostile intent." Even back then, people didn't like to wait. Anticipating something that will happen is waiting, though sometimes what you wait for never comes — like Godot, who never shows up in the play "Waiting for Godot." When you wait to do something, you delay. When you wait tables, you serve people, preferably without delay.
Vocabulary lists containing wait
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.
See Examples For:
If you think Google Maps is glitchy now, just wait.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
"Thus we need to wait until school age to ultimately test if paracetamol in the first year of life causes asthma."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
It’s unclear whether Cosby will wait until his latest legal woes have come to an end before relisting his New York home, which was previously listed with Adam Schneider, of Corcoran Westside Columbus.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
In fact, if you come as a visitor, you have to put on scrubs so you fit in — and you feel really uncomfortable and you can’t wait to leave.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
We could hardly stand out in the snow and wait, could we?
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
He’s prepared to wait several years for a stock’s performance and operations to turn, particularly if there’s a decent dividend yield to reward him while he waits.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
They will soften somewhat as the sandwich waits, but not entirely.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
In Slovakia and Hungary in central Europe to Romania and Bulgaria further east, ships are unable to travel fully loaded along the waterway and face lengthy waits.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
The longer it waits, Singh said, the higher rates would eventually have to go.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
She waits while I call Mom from the office.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
The team next used fiber photometry to monitor orexin neuron activity in real time while the rats waited for and received food.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
“We were young and crazy. We waited till the players came out and kind of talked to them,” said David, who says he once walked with Wilt Chamberlain to his car.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
"I think the army has proved its success because people have started to return and they are comfortable with its presence in the village," Sbeih, 62, said as he waited at a bakery there.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Zidane waited five years on the sidelines for the position, refusing all other coaching offers that came his way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Instead, he posted bail and waited for his day in court.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
He said he was hoping his organic wine would emerge intact after the fires, but was waiting for the end of the winemaking process to be sure.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Horror fans waiting for jump scares will be thwarted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
In Wales about 1.4 million people have chosen to donate their organs after their death, while 348 people in Wales are currently waiting for an organ transplant.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Especially during high-traffic times, after waiting in line, you’d pick up a phone still warm from the grip of the inmate who’d just been using it, the receiver still smelling like his breath.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
She turned back to the other staff in the kitchen, busily putting plates together for patrons waiting for their orders.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
