wait

[ weyt ]
See synonyms for wait on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. to remain neglected for a time: a matter that can wait.

  2. 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.

  3. to look forward to eagerly: I'm just waiting for the day somebody knocks him down.

verb (used with object)
  1. to continue in expectation of; await: I sat nervously on the bench, waiting my turn to audition.

  2. to postpone or delay in expectation: Don't wait supper for me.

  1. Archaic. (of things) to be in readiness for; be reserved for; await: Glory waits thee.

  2. Archaic. to attend upon or escort, especially as a sign of respect.

noun
  1. an act or instance of waiting or awaiting; delay; halt: a wait at the border.

  2. a period or interval of waiting: There will be a long wait between trains.

  1. Theater.

    • the time between two acts, scenes, or the like.

  2. British.

    • waits, (formerly) a band of musicians employed by a city or town to play music in parades, for official functions, etc.

    • a street musician, especially a singer.

    • one of a band of carolers.

    • a piece sung by carolers, especially a Christmas carol.

  3. Obsolete. a watchman.

Verb Phrases
  1. wait on,

    • to perform the duties of an attendant or servant for.

    • to supply the wants of a person, as serving a meal or serving a customer in a store.

    • to call upon or visit (a person, especially a superior): to wait on Her Majesty at the palace.

    • Falconry. (of a hawk) to soar over ground until prey appears.

    • Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. to wait for (a person); await.

    • Also wait upon. to await (an event).

  2. wait up,

    • to postpone going to bed to await someone's arrival.

    • Informal. to halt and wait for another to join one, as in running or walking: Wait up, I can't walk so fast.

Idioms about wait

  1. lie in wait, to wait in ambush: The army lay in wait in the forest.

  2. wait table. table (def. 26).

Origin of wait

1
First recorded in 1150–1200; early Middle English verb waiten, from Anglo-French waitier; Old French guaitier, from Germanic; cognate with Old High German wahtēn “to watch,” derivative of wahta ”a watch” (see wake1)

synonym study For wait

1. 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 For wait

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.

Other words for wait

Words that may be confused with wait

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

How to use wait in a sentence

  • The public eye, ever watchful and timid, waits scarcely for the show of danger to take alarm and withdraw its favour.

  • The gentleman inclines his head lower, smiles, and waits patiently for a second or two.

    Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
  • While he waits for the paper he kneels down and prays to God, for the sake of wife and children, to allow him to escape.

    God and my Neighbour | Robert Blatchford
  • He was perfectly contented to bide his time, remembering that adage: "All things come to him who waits."

    Dorothy at Skyrie | Evelyn Raymond
  • One waits at the bottom of a field, while his partner quarters the ground with the arrowy fleetness of a swallow.

    The Chequers | James Runciman

British Dictionary definitions for wait

wait

/ (weɪt) /


verb
  1. (when intr, often foll by for, until, or to) 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

  1. (when intr, usually foll by for) (of things) to be in store (for a person): success waits for you in your new job

  2. (intr) to act as a waiter or waitress

noun
  1. the act or an instance of waiting

  2. a period of waiting

  1. (plural) rare a band of musicians who go around the streets, esp at Christmas, singing and playing carols

  2. an interlude or interval between two acts or scenes in a play, etc

  3. lie in wait to prepare an ambush (for someone)

Origin of wait

1
C12: from Old French waitier; related to Old High German wahtēn to wake 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with wait

wait

In addition to the idioms beginning with wait

  • wait a minute
  • wait and see
  • wait at table
  • wait for the other shoe to drop
  • waiting game
  • waiting in the wings
  • wait on
  • wait on hand and foot
  • wait out
  • wait up

also see:

  • can't wait
  • hurry up and wait
  • in waiting
  • lie in wait
  • play a waiting game

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.