Showing results for "waiting"

• present participle of wait.

waiting

American  

[wey-ting] / ˈweɪ tɪŋ /

noun

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

---

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

It’s a theory clearly waiting to be blown to smithereens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

But Snead decided that the time for waiting was over.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

The electorate nibbles popcorn quietly, waiting their turn to let their voices be heard on who should hold legislative power for the next two years.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

There has been a significant fall in the use of hotels to house asylum seekers waiting for a Home Office decision, data shows.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

She’s waiting for Him now, as she steps through the dewy grass.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• accessible
• apt
• handy
• qualified
• ripe