Definition of 'wait'

Word Frequency

wait

(weɪt )

Word forms: waits, waiting, waited

1. transitive verb/intransitive verb [no passive]

When you wait for something or someone, you spend some time doing very little, because you cannot act until that thing happens or that person arrives.

I walk to a street corner and wait for the school bus.

I waited to see how she responded.

We had to wait a week before we got the results.

Synonyms: stay, remain, stop, pause More Synonyms of wait

waiting uncountable noun

The waiting became almost unbearable.

2. countable noun

A wait is a period of time in which you do very little, before something happens or before you can do something.

...the four-hour wait for the organizers to declare the result.

Synonyms: delay, gap, pause, interval More Synonyms of wait

3. transitive verb/intransitive verb [usu cont]

If something is waiting for you, it is ready for you to use, have, or do.

There'll be a car waiting for you.

When we came home we had a meal waiting for us.

He had a car waiting to take him back to the office.

4. intransitive verb [no cont]

If you say that something can wait, you mean that it is not important or urgent and so you will deal with it or do it later.

I want to talk to you, but it can wait.

Synonyms: be postponed, be suspended, be delayed, be put off More Synonyms of wait

5. intransitive verb [only imper]

You can use wait when you are trying to make someone feel excited, or to encourage or threaten them.

If you think this all sounds very exciting, just wait until you read the book.

6. transitive verb [only imper]

Wait is used in expressions such as wait a minute, wait a second, and wait a moment to interrupt someone when they are speaking, for example, because you object to what they are saying or because you want them to repeat something.

[spoken]

"Wait a minute!" he broke in. "This is not giving her a fair hearing!"

7. intransitive verb

If an employee waits on you, for example, in a restaurant or hotel, they take orders from you and bring you what you want.

There were plenty of servants to wait on her.

See can't wait/can hardly wait

See wait and see

Phrasal verbs:

See wait around

See wait up

More Synonyms of wait

Video: pronunciation of
wait

wait in American English

(weɪt )

verb intransitive

to stay in a place or remain in readiness or in anticipation (until something expected happens or for someone to arrive or catch up)

to be ready or at hand

dinner was waiting for them

to remain temporarily undone or neglected

let that job wait

to serve food at a meal

with at or on

to wait at table, to wait on a person

verb transitive

to be, remain, or delay in expectation or anticipation of; await

to wait orders, to wait one's turn

6. Informal

to delay serving (a meal) as in waiting for someone

to wait dinner

7. Obsolete

to attend upon or escort, esp. as a token of respect or honor

8. Obsolete

to attend as a consequence

noun

the act or fact of waiting

10.

a period of waiting

a four-hour wait

11.

in England,

any of a group of singers and musicians who go through the streets at Christmastime performing songs and carols for small gifts of money

any tune so performed

12. Obsolete

a member of a band of musicians formerly employed by a city or town in England to play at entertainments

13. Obsolete

a watchman

SIMILAR WORDS: stay

Idioms:

Word origin

ME waiten < NormFr waitier < Frank *wahten, to guard, akin to OHG wahta, a guard, watch: for IE base see wake1

Word Frequency

wait in British English

(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)

to delay temporarily or be temporarily delayed

that work can wait

3. (when intr, usually foll by for)

(of things) to be in store (for a person)

success waits for you in your new job

4. (intransitive)

to act as a waiter or waitress

noun

the act or an instance of waiting

a period of waiting

7. (plural) rare

a band of musicians who go around the streets, esp at Christmas, singing and playing carols

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

9. lie in wait

Word origin

C12: from Old French waitier; related to Old High German wahtēn to wake1

Examples of 'wait' in a sentence
wait

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An initial post mortem was inconclusive and officials are now waiting on toxicology results.There are various reasons to play the waiting game at present.She would sit and wait in the car doing her work.They wait for one moment and they got that moment.And wait till you see those moody sunsets.This situation risks overload and longer waiting times for all patients.Some may think we still need to wait to take full advantage of this model. Instead of waiting, you take action in all areas of your life.There was no four-hour wait.We have just waited for the result to happen and this is not a good way.