waiter

American  

[wey-ter] / ˈweɪ tər /

noun

• waiters
  plural

1. a person, especially a man, who waits on tables, as in a restaurant.

2. a tray for carrying dishes, a tea service, etc.; salver.

3. a person who waits or awaits.

4. Obsolete. an attendant.

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verb (used without object)

1. to work or serve as a waiter.

   to waiter in a restaurant.

waiter British  

/ ˈweɪtə /

noun

1. a man whose occupation is to serve at table, as in a restaurant

2. an attendant at the London Stock Exchange or Lloyd's who carries messages: the modern equivalent of waiters who performed these duties in the 17th-century London coffee houses in which these institutions originated

3. a person who waits

4. a tray or salver on which dishes, etc, are carried

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Gender

See -person.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• waiterless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• waiters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of waiter

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at wait, -er ¹

Explanation

The person who brings your food in a restaurant is a waiter. If you discover an insect in your gazpacho, you might call out, "Waiter! There's a fly in my soup!" These days it's more common to call the cafe worker who takes your order and delivers your nachos a server, since it's entirely gender-neutral, but some people still use waiter for a man or woman and waitress for a woman. Your grandpa might enjoy embarrassing the whole family by hollering, "Check please, waiter!" at the end of every restaurant meal. Before this word became common for restaurant servers, it was used for household servants who "waited at table."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

waiter waiters

The manager and the waiter thanked us again.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Compare that to the mainland, where the robot waiter reaches me the way it’s built to: a viral clip and a “look how advanced we are” flex.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

I like the brunch place where a waiter knows I want blackberry jam with my Texas toast, and I know what his nieces have been reading lately.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Alexander Garcia, a 44-year-old waiter, said he heard firefighters declare "Code 14," which he later found out meant that there were no survivors.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

Over the samovar’s chimney, the waiter had draped a string festooned with bublitchki, small bagel-shaped rolls baked to a glossy sheen.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

These include the people welcoming attendees into stadiums, VIP lounge chefs, waiters and the flagbearers during the opening ceremony.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

The waiters move slowly, the mirrors hold onto the past.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026

After 1947, "Imperial" was dropped from the club's name, but much of the atmosphere remained: dress codes, old carpets, evening drinks and familiar waiters serving generations of the same families.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

“They want safety, and I understand that,” he said, as waiters bustled past with plates of yogurt-marinated mutton and chicken kebabs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

Around the occupied tables handsome waiters gathered, their black hair slicked back into bullfighters' little ponytails.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• server
• waitperson
• waitress