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

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

Their waiter Amir, who preferred not to share his last name, ferried packed peach-and-pineapple hookahs and tall glasses of pressed watermelon juice from the cafe’s kitchen to the table.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2026

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

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

“When the waiter came to take our orders, he said it so smoothly—‘oh, but you do realize that tenderloin is pork, don’t you, Portnoy?

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• server
• waitperson
• waitress