Meanings
verbcan't wait (third-person singular simple present can't wait, no present participle, simple past couldn't wait, no past participle)
past couldn't wait
- idiomaticno past participleno present participleTo eagerly anticipate; to find it hard to wait for a forthcoming pleasurable event.
I can't wait for that party on Friday.
- no past participleno present participleTo need to be attended to right away.
I'm afraid this can't wait; it has to be done by Thursday.
Translations
Arabic لَا اَسْتَطِيع اَلاِنْتِظَار
- لَا اَسْتَطِيع اَلاِنْتِظَار (lā astaṭīʕ al-intiẓār)to eagerly anticipate
Czech těšit se
- těšit seto eagerly anticipate
Finnish ei malttaa odottaa
- ei malttaa odottaato eagerly anticipate
French avoir hâte
- avoir hâteto eagerly anticipate
German kaum erwarten können
- kaum erwarten könnento eagerly anticipate
Hungarian alig vár
- alig várto eagerly anticipate
Italian non vedere l'ora
- non vedere l'orato eagerly anticipate
Japanese 楽しみにする
- 楽しみにする (tanoshimi ni suru)to eagerly anticipate
Portuguese não ver a hora
- não ver a horato eagerly anticipate
Romanian abia aștepta
- abia așteptato eagerly anticipate
Russian жду не дожду́сь, жду с нетерпе́нием
- жду не дожду́сь (ždu ne doždúsʹ)to eagerly anticipate
- жду с нетерпе́нием (ždu s neterpénijem)to eagerly anticipate
Spanish no ver la hora
- no ver la horato eagerly anticipate
Turkish iple çekmek, dört gözle beklemek
- iple çekmekto eagerly anticipate
- dört gözle beklemekto eagerly anticipate
Cite this entry
APA
can't wait. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/can't%20wait
MLA
“can't wait.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/can't%20wait. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “can't wait,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/can't%20wait.
Source: can't wait on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.