waiver
Americannoun
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Law.
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an intentional relinquishment of some right, interest, or the like.
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an express or written statement of such relinquishment.
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Sports. an arrangement under which a professional player is released to become available to join a different team, which must then assume the player’s existing contract.
noun
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the voluntary relinquishment, expressly or by implication, of some claim or right
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the act or an instance of relinquishing a claim or right
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a formal statement in writing of such relinquishment
Usage
What is a waiver? A waiver is an intentional or agreed upon release of your rights, usually in the form of a written contract. In the law, to waive your rights or interests is to purposely give them up. A waiver is this intentional giving up or the form that records your decision. Example: All you have to do to enter is to sign this waiver and give us your pass.
Etymology
Origin of waiver
First recorded in 1620–30; from Anglo-French weyver, noun use of weyver to waive; see -er 3
Explanation
A waiver is a formal statement giving up a right. If you go on a school trip, your mom might sign a waiver saying that the school is not responsible if you get hurt on the trip. When you sign a waiver, you’re voluntarily giving up a privilege or legal right. A waiver is often required before you participate in something dangerous. If you decide to go skydiving, you might have to sign a waiver agreeing that you won’t sue the skydiving company if you get injured. That means you’re assuming all the risk associated with the activity. Other types of waivers can involve officially declining various rights, such as a privacy waiver or an insurance waiver.
Vocabulary lists containing waiver
100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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Free Lunch
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Amari and the Night Brothers
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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.
Benjamin arrived in the U.S. from Chile through the Visa Waiver Program, which required him to depart on March 15, 2023, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025
That is because 42 territories are in the USA's Visa Waiver Program, meanings fans will only need to apply via the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, which is usually approved or rejected within 72 hours.
From BBC • Oct. 6, 2025
Visa Waiver Program, which allows passport holders from 41 countries to enter the United States for business or tourism without a visa for up to 90 days.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 2, 2024
A senior U.S. government official said the modifications did not apply to any of the other 39 participants in the Visa Waiver Program and were "unique to Hungary".
From Reuters • Aug. 1, 2023
“No. I had a bacterial infection. Worse than most. Antibiotics weren’t touching it, and by the time they were able to get a Restricted Antibiotic Waiver, I had already lost one leg. This one, actually.”
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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.
