waiter

American  

[wey-ter] / ˈweɪ tər /

noun

1. a person, especially a man, who waits on tables, as in a restaurant.

2. a tray for carrying dishes, a tea service, etc.; salver.

3. a person who waits or awaits.

4. Obsolete. an attendant.

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verb (used without object)

1. to work or serve as a waiter.

   to waiter in a restaurant.

waiter British  

/ ˈweɪtə /

noun

1. a man whose occupation is to serve at table, as in a restaurant

2. an attendant at the London Stock Exchange or Lloyd's who carries messages: the modern equivalent of waiters who performed these duties in the 17th-century London coffee houses in which these institutions originated

3. a person who waits

4. a tray or salver on which dishes, etc, are carried

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Gender

See -person.

Other Word Forms

• waiterless adjective

Etymology

Origin of waiter

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; wait, -er ¹

Example Sentences

The court heard he briefly attended university and had worked as a waiter before becoming homeless and moving to London.

From BBC

The measly tip she left for the waiter.

From Literature

Our waiter overhears my mom’s impromptu poetry recital and tells us that the statue was built years ago and kept in storage for over a decade because Spaniards are divided in their feelings for Lorca.

From Literature

He should have shown more gratitude to the waiters, reflects the ghost of the Titanic’s captain.

From The Wall Street Journal

The medallion of venison on my plate came from a deer shot by one of the restaurant’s waiters who spends summers as a ghillie, a hunting and fishing guide.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• server
• waitperson
• waitress