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.

PHS advises against comparing the waiting times for these diagnostic tests in Scotland with the other four nations due to inconsistencies in definitions.

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

Data for England measures those waiting to start treatment, while PHS data is a count of those at different stages between diagnosis and treatment.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

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

Everybody was leaning forward in anticipation, waiting for Kathy to start.

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