verb (used without object)
1.
to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens (often followed by for, till, or until ): to wait for the bus to arrive.
2.
(of things) to be available or in readiness: A letter is waiting for you.
3.
to remain neglected for a time: a matter that can wait.
4.
to postpone or delay something or to be postponed or delayed: We waited a week and then bought the house. Your vacation will have to wait until next month.
5.
to look forward to eagerly: I'm just waiting for the day somebody knocks him down.
verb (used with object)
6.
to continue as one is in expectation of; await: to wait one's turn at a telephone booth.
7.
to postpone or delay in expectation: Don't wait supper for me.
8.
9.
Archaic. to attend upon or escort, especially as a sign of respect.
00:10
Wait
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
| to flee; abscond: |
| to bark; yelp. |
noun
Verb phrases 10.
an act or instance of waiting or awaiting; delay; halt: a wait at the border.
11.
a period or interval of waiting: There will be a long wait between trains.
12.
13.
British.
a.
waits, (formerly) a band of musicians employed by a city or town to play music in parades, for official functions, etc.
b.
a street musician, especially a singer.
c.
one of a band of carolers.
d.
a piece sung by carolers, especially a Christmas carol.
14.
Obsolete. a watchman.
15.
wait on,
a.
to perform the duties of an attendant or servant for.
b.
to supply the wants of a person, as serving a meal or serving a customer in a store.
c.
to call upon or visit (a person, especially a superior): to wait on Her Majesty at the palace.
d.
Falconry. (of a hawk) to soar over ground until prey appears.
e.
Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. to wait for (a person); await.
f.
Also, wait upon. to await (an event).
16.
Idioms wait up,
a.
to postpone going to bed to await someone's arrival.
b.
Informal. to halt and wait for another to join one, as in running or walking: Wait up, I can't walk so fast.
17.
lie in wait, to wait in ambush: The army lay in wait in the forest.
18.
Origin:
1150–1200; (v.) early Middle English waiten < Anglo-French waitier; Old French guaitier < Germanic; cognate with Old High German wahtēn to watch, derivative of wahta a watch (see wake1); (noun) late Middle English < AF derivative of waitier
1150–1200; (v.) early Middle English waiten < Anglo-French waitier; Old French guaitier < Germanic; cognate with Old High German wahtēn to watch, derivative of wahta a watch (see wake1); (noun) late Middle English < AF derivative of waitier
Synonyms
1. await, linger, abide, delay. Wait, tarry imply pausing to linger and thereby putting off further activity until later. Wait usually implies staying for a limited time and for a definite purpose, that is, for something expected: to wait for a train. Tarry is a somewhat archaic word for wait but it suggests lingering, perhaps aimlessly delaying, or pausing (briefly) in a journey: to tarry on the way home; to tarry overnight at an inn.
1. await, linger, abide, delay. Wait, tarry imply pausing to linger and thereby putting off further activity until later. Wait usually implies staying for a limited time and for a definite purpose, that is, for something expected: to wait for a train. Tarry is a somewhat archaic word for wait but it suggests lingering, perhaps aimlessly delaying, or pausing (briefly) in a journey: to tarry on the way home; to tarry overnight at an inn.
Usage note
15e, f. Sometimes considered objectionable in standard usage, the idiom wait on meaning “to wait for, to await (a person)” is largely confined to speech or written representations of speech. It is most common in the Midland and Southern United States: Let's not wait on Rachel, she's always late. Wait on or upon (an event) does not have a regional pattern and occurs in a wide variety of contexts: We will wait on (or upon) his answer and make our decision then. The completion of the merger waits upon news of a drop in interest rates.
15e, f. Sometimes considered objectionable in standard usage, the idiom wait on meaning “to wait for, to await (a person)” is largely confined to speech or written representations of speech. It is most common in the Midland and Southern United States: Let's not wait on Rachel, she's always late. Wait on or upon (an event) does not have a regional pattern and occurs in a wide variety of contexts: We will wait on (or upon) his answer and make our decision then. The completion of the merger waits upon news of a drop in interest rates.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To wait
Collins
World English Dictionary
wait (weɪt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (when intr, | |
| 1. | to stay in one place or remain inactive in expectation (of something); hold oneself in readiness (for something) |
| 2. | to delay temporarily or be temporarily delayed: that work can wait |
| 3. | (of things) to be in store (for a person): success waits for you in your new job |
| 4. | (intr) to act as a waiter or waitress |
| —n | |
| 5. | the act or an instance of waiting |
| 6. | a period of waiting |
| 7. | rare (plural) a band of musicians who go around the streets, esp at Christmas, singing and playing carols |
| 8. | an interlude or interval between two acts or scenes in a play, etc |
| 9. | lie in wait to prepare an ambush (for someone) |
| [C12: from Old French waitier; related to Old High German wahtēn to | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
wait
c.1200, "to watch with hostile intent, lie in wait for," from O.N.Fr. waitier "to watch" (Fr. guetter), from Frank. *wahton (cf. Du. wacht "a watching," O.H.G. wahten, Ger. wachten "to watch, to guard;" O.H.G. wahhon "to watch, be awake," O.E. wacian "to be awake;" see
wake (v.)). General sense of "remain in some place" is from 1375; meaning "serve as an attendant at a table" is from 1568. The noun is first attested c.1300. To wait (something) out "endure a period of waiting" is recorded from 1909, originally Amer.Eng., in ref. to baseball batters trying to draw a base on balls. Waiting game is recorded from 1890. Waiting room is attested from 1683. Waiting list is recorded from 1897; the verb wait-list "to put (someone) on a waiting list" is recorded from 1960.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
wait
In addition to the idioms beginning with wait, also see can't wait; hurry up and wait; in waiting; lie in wait; play a waiting game.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
wait
an English town watchman or public musician who sounded the hours of the night. In the later Middle Ages the waits were night watchmen, who sounded horns or even played tunes to mark the hours. In the 15th and 16th centuries waits developed into bands of itinerant musicians who paraded the streets at night at Christmas time. From the early 16th century, London and all the chief boroughs had their corporation waits.
Learn more about wait with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
It's regrettable, though, that editors and reporters have to wait for such developments.
Creditors further down the ladder should be patient and wait their turn.
They hunker down, cut spending, and wait for good times to return.
Can't wait to add the algorithm to my robotic camera.
Idioms & Phrases
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
