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

See Examples For:

waiting room

One hospital had rooms that were so hot patients needed to be moved to an air-conditioned waiting room, Reuters reported.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 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 must stay in the waiting room," the employee shouted through a megaphone, reminding relatives that they were lucky to be alive.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

As I escorted the woozy client through the waiting room and out the door, I felt an itch of guilt begin to bother my conscience like a mosquito bite.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

• foyer
• reception room
• vestibule