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); wait, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

"We hope they tell us where they are keeping them. We are desperate. We've been waiting for many days without any answers," Farfán says.

From BBC

The scripted banter mostly made one think how much funnier the presenters probably were waiting to come onstage, and after they got back to their tables.

From Los Angeles Times

“Developers and consumers are waiting patiently for the release of the new and improved Siri in the March/April timeframe,” Ives wrote.

From MarketWatch

As ambulances queued in front of Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading last week, corridors full of patients were waiting for a bed on a ward.

From BBC

He said he was waiting to hear what the son of Iran's last shah, US-based Reza Pahlavi, "will tell us to do".

From Barron's

Related Words

• accessible
• apt
• handy
• qualified
• ripe