stage wait


nounTheater.
  1. an unintentional pause during a performance, usually caused by a performer's or stagehand's missing a cue.

Origin of stage wait

1
First recorded in 1860–65

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use stage wait in a sentence

  • His reluctance was merely a dissimulation, a stage wait for heightened dramatic effect.

    The Shadow | Arthur Stringer
  • After that there was what is known in theatrical circles as a "stage wait."

    Number Seventeen | Louis Tracy
  • A stage wait to let that soak into them in all its full strength.

    Europe Revised | Irvin S. Cobb
  • A tiny pause ensues; this stage wait has been skillfully timed; a suitable atmosphere subtly has been created.

    The Abandoned Farmers | Irvin S. Cobb
  • The ‘stage wait’ was filled up by some simple playing and singing by a few local amateurs.