waive
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to refrain from claiming or insisting on; give up; forgo.
to waive one's right;
to waive one's rank;
to waive honors.
- Antonyms:
- demand
-
Law. to relinquish (a known right, interest, etc.) intentionally.
-
to put aside for the time; defer; dispense with.
to waive formalities.
-
to put aside or dismiss from consideration or discussion.
waiving my attempts to explain.
verb
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to set aside or relinquish
to waive one's right to something
-
to refrain from enforcing (a claim) or applying (a law, penalty, etc)
-
to defer
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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waivesimple
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waivessimple
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have waivedperfect
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has waivedperfect
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am waivingprogressive
-
are waivingprogressive
-
is waivingprogressive
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have been waivingperfect progressive
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has been waivingperfect progressive
Past
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waivedsimple
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had waivedperfect
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was waivingprogressive
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were waivingprogressive
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had been waivingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of waive
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English weyven, from Anglo-French weyver “to make a homeless child (of someone) by forsaking or outlawing (that person)”; see waif ( def. )
Explanation
To waive is to give up one's right to do something. If you waive your right to help name your family's new puppy, you can't complain if he ends up being called "Mr. Tinkerbell Sweetheart Lovey-Face." Waive comes from a Middle English word meaning to abandon; the word waif, which refers to a neglected or orphaned child, shares the same root. However, while abandoning a child on a street corner is not okay, waiving one's right to do something is in most cases perfectly acceptable. A document stating one's decision to give up one's rights is appropriately called a waiver.
Vocabulary lists containing waive
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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American Football, 3rd Quarter
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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.
“The blockers here are solid contractual provisions, not phantom clauses” that Hudson Bay could waive without Bed Bath & Beyond’s consent, the three-judge panel wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
Bollo, the son of a domestic worker and a line cook, said he’s applied to work as a teaching assistant and graduate researcher, which would waive the cost of his tuition.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026
Under the text, Washington commits to immediately waive oil sanctions crippling Iran's economy.
From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026
County Judge Ron Massingill asked the commissioners to take a nonbinding vote signaling the officials wanted the business and would be willing to waive its property taxes.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
“There was a question just now, Mr. Jaggers, which you desired me to waive for a moment. I hope I am doing nothing wrong in asking it again?”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
