waiter

American  

[way-ter] / ˈweɪ tər /

noun

• waiters
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• waiterless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• waiters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of waiter

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

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Explanation

The person who brings your food in a restaurant is a waiter. If you discover an insect in your gazpacho, you might call out, "Waiter! There's a fly in my soup!" These days it's more common to call the cafe worker who takes your order and delivers your nachos a server, since it's entirely gender-neutral, but some people still use waiter for a man or woman and waitress for a woman. Your grandpa might enjoy embarrassing the whole family by hollering, "Check please, waiter!" at the end of every restaurant meal. Before this word became common for restaurant servers, it was used for household servants who "waited at table."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

waiter waiters

The waiter arrived, a young man named Tyler, who took our drink order.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

The waiter handed out menus rich with options, but as each guest ordered the man repeated, “nyet.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

The only thing missing, really, was my nervous waiter in the bow tie.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

The guidance suggests applicants for new licences should aim for "a predominantly seated operation with fixed seating", alongside waiter service replacing vertical drinking and restrictions on customers consuming alcohol while standing.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

“Feeling queasy, bakchoi?” said Bunny slyly after the waiter took our drink orders.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Many who crossed did so after abruptly quitting their jobs as waiters, labourers or fishermen.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

These include the people welcoming attendees into stadiums, VIP lounge chefs, waiters and the flagbearers during the opening ceremony.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

The waiters move slowly, the mirrors hold onto the past.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026

So when, at the first eat-in, at the Sands that February, the children defaulted to ordering hamburgers, Duncan barked to the waiters: “No, they do not want hamburgers. They want steak and lobster.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

And the waiters all rushing in and out from the Dining-Room yelling the food orders to the cooks!

From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl

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Related Words

• server
• waitperson
• waitress

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