wait
waiting; waited; waits
A wait is the time it takes for something to happen. The wait to get the brand new computer was four hours long, but it was worth it.
The word wait originated in the 1200s, from the Old Northern French word waitier: "to watch with hostile intent." Even back then, people didn't like to wait. Anticipating something that will happen is waiting, though sometimes what you wait for never comes — like Godot, who never shows up in the play "Waiting for Godot." When you wait to do something, you delay. When you wait tables, you serve people, preferably without delay.
Definitions of wait
-
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something“I had to wait on line for an hour to get the tickets”
-
types:
-
ambuscade, ambush, bushwhack, lie in wait, lurk, scupper, waylay
wait in hiding to attack
-
cool one's heels, kick one's heels
wait or pass the time aimlessly or futilely; be kept waiting
-
stand by, stick about, stick around
be available or ready for a certain function or service
-
ambuscade, ambush, bushwhack, lie in wait, lurk, scupper, waylay
-
wait before acting
-
types:
- show 6 types...
- hide 6 types...
-
hold out
wait uncompromisingly for something desirable
-
delay
act later than planned, scheduled, or required
-
hesitate, pause
interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
-
dilly-dally, dillydally, drag one's feet, drag one's heels, procrastinate, shillyshally, stall
postpone doing what one should be doing
-
procrastinate
postpone or delay needlessly
-
defer, hold over, postpone, prorogue, put off, put over, remit, set back, shelve, table
hold back to a later time
-
look forward to the probable occurrence of“he is waiting to be drafted”
-
anticipate, expect
regard something as probable or likely
-
types:
- show 6 types...
- hide 6 types...
-
expect
look forward to the birth of a child
-
look forward
expect or hope for
-
look to
turn one's interests or expectations towards
-
hang on, hold on, hold the line
hold the phone line open
-
anticipate, look for, look to
be excited or anxious about
-
apprehend, quail at
anticipate with dread or anxiety
-
anticipate, expect
-
time during which some action is awaited
-
synonyms:
delay, hold, postponement, time lag
-
types:
-
extension
a mutually agreed delay in the date set for the completion of a job or payment of a debt
-
moratorium
a legally authorized postponement before some obligation must be discharged
-
retardation
the extent to which something is delayed or held back
-
type of:
-
break, intermission, interruption, pause, suspension
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
-
extension
-
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)“the wait was an ordeal for him”
-
synonyms:
waiting
-
type of:
-
inactivity
being inactive; being less active
-
inactivity
-
serve as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘wait'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up wait for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
