overwait

present singular third person overwaits · participle present overwaiting · participle past overwaited · past overwaited

1. transitiveTo wait for an excessive amount of time; wait beyond the time allowed or expected; wait too long.

   I'm convinced we behave like this because most of us overwait for times of respite, and then we try to cram a month's peace into two weeks of hectic vacationing.

   2000, Jeff Walling, Daring to Dance With God

   1 more example

   I didn't waste any time getting to sleep, and the orderly didn't overwait his time, either. I miscalculated on the moon and the depth of our chasm. I expected the moon to appear some time before midnight, but she didn't.

   1915, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, The Journal of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute

1. uncountableThe period of time one overwaits; an excessive duration of waiting; delay.

   But they have objected that this word oppresse is incertain; for he may be oppressed with overwait, or hunger and cold.

   1912, The English reports