waive
Americanverb (used with object)
-
waives,
present (3rd person singular)
-
waived,
past participle, past
-
waiving
present participle
-
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
-
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
-
have been waivingperfect progressive
-
has been waivingperfect progressive
Past
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waivedsimple
-
had waivedperfect
-
was waivingprogressive
-
were waivingprogressive
-
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
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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.
See Examples For:
Reserve balances in Florida rank significantly weaker than elsewhere in the country due to legacy state laws that allowed unit owners to vote annually to waive reserve funding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
The newer version does, however, give the White House more authority to waive the oil-and-gas importer penalties if it sees fit.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026
The decision to waive Balogun's suspension came two days before the United States were beaten 4-1 by Belgium.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 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
“None of your damned shadowy Karhidish metaphors, now, Estraven. I waive shifgrethor; I discard it. Will you answer me?”
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
This is not an insurance policy, per se, it’s an optional agreement that waives your financial responsibility if the rental car is damaged or stolen.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
No lawyer in America thinks drafting a confidential memo in Google Docs waives the privilege over its contents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
The federal program also waives fees and requirements for “legitimate” recycling of certain hazardous wastes, such as scrap metal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025
They cannot be prosecuted for any crime unless their home country waives the immunity.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2025
Some Argie diplomat in New York, still harping on about the Belgrano being outside the zone, said Britain no longer rules the waves, it just waives the rules.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Voyages between U.S. ports taken by foreign ships, as of Aug. 7, since Trump waived the Jones Act on March 17, according to the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Stout had waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead to let Lucena decide his fate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
For instance, someone who purchased a $1,400 laptop in Tennessee during tax-free weekend would save $98 on the waived 7% state sales tax plus $21 to $38 on local taxes, depending on the county.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
The council offered a flexible interpretation of requirements to build a proportion of "affordable housing", sometimes effectively waived, sometimes met by funding building in cheaper areas of the city.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The woman at the gate explained that should Hugh and I volunteer to participate, that is, to spend time with one of these angry young cows, our admission fees would be waived.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
Some sellers reported having to sign clauses waiving their right to compensation in the event of a drone strike on warehouse facilities.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Brittan, from Devon, who spoke to the BBC after waiving her automatic lifelong right to anonymity, described the Met as "shambolic, incompetent and complicit".
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Caplin said the league is not interested in waiving blackout rules on a team-by-team basis, even for those teams whose rights no longer are held by a cable or satellite entity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
The American Bar Association concluded in 2017 that lawyers may use cloud computing without waiving privilege, provided they take reasonable security precautions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
The judge warned Joe repeatedly that a guilty plea meant waiving his right to a trial, his right to testify, and his right to appeal her ruling.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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.
