waiting

[wey-ting]

noun

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

adjective

1. serving or being in attendance.

   waiting man;

   waiting maid;

   waiting woman.

Other Word Forms

• waitingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of waiting¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English (noun); wait, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in waiting, in attendance, as upon a royal personage.

Example Sentences

“I think that we’ve all been waiting for our guys to come back to health, and see what we look like as the ballclub that we had all envisioned.”

From Los Angeles Times

"Yes, we will have to move farther away somewhere, but we don't know how or where," she says in a room crowded with their belongings, still waiting to be unpacked.

From BBC

"I have been known to drive around after night shifts, waiting for the sun to come up," he said.

From BBC

More than a hundred people lined up with flowers, candles and flags, waiting for their turn to place them before a memorial that centered on a larger-than-life photo of Kirk.

From Los Angeles Times

In one instance, he recalled, a Sikh driver waiting at a truck stop was harassed, and when he called 911, the cops showed up and asked the driver to leave.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accessible 
• apt 
• handy 
• qualified 
• ripe