waiting

American

[wey-ting] / ˈweɪ tɪŋ /

noun

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

adjective

serving or being in attendance.

waiting man;
waiting maid;
waiting woman.

idioms

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The company opted to hold production levels flat at 505,000 to 510,000 barrels a day last year, waiting until oil prices improved.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

One area of healthcare that is frequently contentious and can largely be compared across the UK is A&E waiting times.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Yet waiting for the bombs to stop doesn’t entirely make sense either.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The Dodgers’ hitters might be waiting on a wakeup call, but the Guardians jumped on Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the third inning, scoring twice on miscues by him and catcher Smith.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

After eons of waiting, we get to the front and Grandmary hooks us up with Indian tacos, and as she winks at me again, I try to let it all go.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023