waiting

American  

[wey-ting] / ˈweɪ tɪŋ /

noun

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

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adjective

1. serving or being in attendance.

   waiting man;

   waiting maid;

   waiting woman.

idioms

1. 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); see wait, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Explanation

The act of standing by without acting as you anticipate a future event or time is waiting. Waiting can be agonizing, especially waiting for something vitally important, like election results — or your birthday. The word waiting is a noun used for a kind of action that's characterized by inaction or delay: "Generations of waiting produced no change in a city's discriminatory policies, so citizens planned a protest march." It's also a useful adjective, for things like waiting rooms, waiting lists, and waiting periods. In the old days the word was also used for certain servants, lords or ladies "in waiting" who waited on their employers.

Example Sentences

Carrying the ball up the pitch, he holds it, waiting to commit one of the opponent's defenders.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

"They manage to change your thoughts and make you believe that no one is waiting for you anymore."

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

While traders are waiting for Iran’s response to the U.S. proposal, investors are “seemingly confident that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen soon one way or another, for otherwise crude oil would not have fallen.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Market watchers have been waiting for those to get bigger owing to the high demands of U.S. government spending currently.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

Whatever had moved had gone still again: but it was a horrible, waiting stillness.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Related Words

• accessible
• apt
• handy
• qualified
• ripe