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

He could order in French and exchange pleasantries with an elderly French waiter who seemed to live there.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Before I could even open a menu, he’d tell the waiter, “Sauce on the side, she eats like a celebrity,” making me feel adored, not demanding.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

Bah, oui!—you probably will run into a mean waiter at some point.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

On the footage, a waiter can be heard warning that the material on the ceiling is flammable.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

The waiter seemed a little offended about the flowers of the Pyrenees, so I overtipped him.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Related Words

• server
• waitperson
• waitress