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waiting period

American  

noun

  1. a specified delay, required by law, between officially stating an intention and acting on it, as between securing a marriage license and getting married.

  2. Insurance. the required delay between the date of inception of a claim and the date on which the indemnity becomes payable, as in workmen's compensation insurance or unemployment insurance.


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.

This waiting period, known as “seasoning,” allows volatility surrounding a company’s IPO to fade and gives the market time to find a reasonable price.

From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026

A postage stamp-sized implant eliminates a dangerous waiting period that has long worsened outcomes for cancer patients.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

The Finland-born 26-year-old married Mitrofanov, a Wisconsin native, in 2024, but the waiting period for citizenship after marriage is at least three years.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

But Catherine says introducing a mandatory waiting period would be pointless as the wait times for a driving test are already so long.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

We'd filed to get a green card through my uncle in 1985, and after a thirteen-year waiting period, my sister was about to get kicked off our application.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

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