wait definition - Dictionary

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wait

wait [ wayt ]

verb (past and past participle wait·ed, present participle wait·ing, 3rd person present singular waits)

Definition:

1. intransitive verb do nothing expecting something to happen: to stay in one place or do nothing for a period of time until something happens or in the expectation or hope that something will happen

I'll wait for you here until noon.

2. intransitive verb stop so somebody can catch up: to stop or slow down in order to allow somebody else to catch up

Wait for me!

3. intransitive verb be hoping for something: to be hoping for something or on the lookout for something

He is waiting for a job opportunity.

4. intransitive verb be delayed or ignored for now: to be postponed or put off until later

Fame would just have to wait.

5. intransitive verb be ready or available: to be ready or available for somebody to take or use

Your mail is waiting for you.

6. transitive verb delay something: to delay something, especially a meal, because somebody is expected to arrive soon ( informal )

We waited dinner for you.

7. transitive and intransitive verb be waiter: to serve at restaurant tables as a waiter

She waits tables at the hotel.

noun (plural waits)

Definition:

time spent waiting: a period of time spent while expecting something to happen

The wait seemed to go on forever.

plural noun waits

Definition:

band of musicians: a band of musicians who play and sing Christmas carols in the streets ( archaic )

[12th century. Via Old N French waitier "spy, prepare to ambush" < Frankish]

lie in wait for somebody or something to be waiting to catch or attack somebody or something

Spelling Note


	wait or weight? Do not confuse the spelling of wait and weight, which sound similar. Wait refers to a period of time before doing something or before something happens: Wait until it stops raining. We had a long wait for the train. Weight refers to heaviness, importance, or arranging something so that it either favors or disadvantages a particular person or group, as in the weight of the suitcase, weighted it down with a stone, opinions that carry little weight, weighted in their favor.

Word Usage


	See await.

Cultural Note


	Waiting for Godot, a play (1954) by Irish writer Samuel Beckett. A classic drama of the theater of the absurd, it has two main characters, the tramps Estragon and Vladimir. They indulge in idle conversation and games while waiting for Godot, who they hope will give some meaning to their futile existence. Godot does not arrive, and the tramps decide to go, but they do not leave the stage.