waiter

American  

[wey-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.

---

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

---

Gender

See -person.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• waiterless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• waiters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of waiter

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

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 manager and the waiter thanked us again.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

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

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

In Morocco, Aleilmi was studying business and working part time as a waiter, earning 1 euro an hour.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Alexander Garcia, a 44-year-old waiter, said he heard firefighters declare "Code 14," which he later found out meant that there were no survivors.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

"One more," Brett said, "and I must run. Do send the waiter for a taxi."

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Lake Park Bistro — Lake Park Bistro has the kind of delightfully old-school French restaurant feel that starts at the grand entrance and continues with white tablecloths and waiters in spiffy uniforms.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Public-facing workers - including waiters, shop assistants and doctors - must address customers or patients initially in Ukrainian, though they can later switch to Russian if the client prefers that.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

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

When I come back out, Marlena and August are the picture of dignity, hovering in the background as three white-gloved waiters fuss with a small wheeled table and silver-domed platters.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

• server
• waitperson
• waitress