Showing results for "waiting"

• present participle of wait.

waiting

American  

[wey-ting] / ˈweɪ tɪŋ /

noun

1. a period of waiting; pause, interval, or delay.

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adjective

1. serving or being in attendance.

   waiting man;

   waiting maid;

   waiting woman.

idioms

1. in waiting, in attendance, as upon a royal personage.

Other Word Forms

• waitingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of waiting

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English (noun); see wait, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Explanation

The act of standing by without acting as you anticipate a future event or time is waiting. Waiting can be agonizing, especially waiting for something vitally important, like election results — or your birthday. The word waiting is a noun used for a kind of action that's characterized by inaction or delay: "Generations of waiting produced no change in a city's discriminatory policies, so citizens planned a protest march." It's also a useful adjective, for things like waiting rooms, waiting lists, and waiting periods. In the old days the word was also used for certain servants, lords or ladies "in waiting" who waited on their employers.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

waiting

Turk said her organization is waiting on federal contracts for grants totaling $4.2 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The round of interviews soon followed, then came the national anthem Wales had been waiting five days of competition for.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

While prime ministerial resignations are often intense affairs, there is actually a lot of waiting around as the world’s press gathers in Downing Street.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

The exercise and fresh air work their plain Victorian magic; soon she is ravenous for the porridge waiting at Misselthwaite Manor.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

I was still waiting, still looking for something.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• accessible
• apt
• handy
• qualified
• ripe