waiting room

American  

[wey-ting room, room] / ˈweɪ tɪŋ ˌrum, ˌrʊm /

noun

waiting rooms plural

1. a room for the use of persons waiting, as in a railroad station or a physician's office.

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waiting room British  

noun

1. a room in which people may wait, as at a railway station, doctor's or dentist's office, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• waiting rooms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of waiting room

First recorded in 1675–85

Example Sentences

She arrived at the courtroom nearly an hour and a half ahead of her 8:30 a.m. appointment, and watched as the waiting room overflowed with at least a hundred other immigrants.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026

Sitting in the waiting room, mentally preparing for an MRI, Maxine opens a browser and searches, “BREAST CANCER.”

From Salon • Jun. 29, 2026

The waiting room outside the hepatology clinic at Rajagiri Hospital in Kochi is suspended between hope and despair.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026

Family members and friends stood around restlessly in the waiting room, where a hospital worker tried to maintain order in the chaos.

From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026

Then they climbed out and went up the B Street entrance stairs toward the ladies' waiting room.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

• foyer
• reception room
• vestibule