Meanings
wait1
present singular third person waits · participle present waiting · participle past waited · past waited · first person past singular waited · archaic present second person singular waitest · past second person singular waited · archaic past second person singular waitedst · present singular third person waits · archaic present singular third person waiteth · past singular third person waited · past plural waited · past subjunctive waited · participle present waiting · participle past waited · alternative waight
- intransitiveTo delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
Wait here until your car arrives.
5 more examples
I’m still waiting for you to pay me back the money I lent you..
They also serve who only stand and wait.
1673, John Milton, “[Sonnet] XVI. When I Consider How My Light is Spent.”, in Poems, &c. upon Several Occasions, London: […] Tho[mas] Dring […], →OCLC, page 59Haste, my dear father; 'tis no time to wait.
1697, Virgil, “Aeneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLCNo matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 46The South London tramway replacement will have to wait, possibly five years, because of the slowing down of bus manufacture due to national requirements.
1948 March and April, “Notes and News: London Transport Plans”, in Railway Magazine, page 132Synonyms: hold one's breath
- USintransitivestativeTo wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.
She used to wait in this joint.
- archaictransitiveTo delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to await. (Now generally superseded by “wait for”.)
to wait one’s turn
2 more examples
Awed with these words, in camps they still abide, / And wait with longing looks their promised guide.
1697, Virgil, “Aeneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLCThe Court had assembled, to wait events, in the huge antechamber known as the Œil de Boeuf.
1992, Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety, Harper Perennial, published 2007, page 30 - obsoletetransitiveTo attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.
He chose a thousand horse, the flower of all / His warlike troops, to wait the funeral.
1697, Virgil, “Aeneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC1 more example
Remorse and heaviness of heart shall wait thee, / And everlasting anguish be thy portion.
1714, Nicholas Rowe, The Tragedy of Jane ShoreSynonyms: bestand
- obsoleteexcept in phrasesTo watch with malicious intent; to lie in wait
- intransitiveTo remain faithful to one’s partner or betrothed during a prolonged period of absence.
I will wait / Even if it takes forever / I will wait / Even if it takes a lifetime
1974, The Bee Gees, Night Fever1 more example
She did not question him. Before leaving, she asked only, "When will I see you again?" He answered, "I don't know. Don't wait for me, Dagny. Next time we meet, you will not want to see me."
1957, Dagny Taggart; Francisco d'Anconia, Ayn Rand's, Atlas Shrugged
plural waits · alternative waight
- A delay.
I had a very long wait at the airport security check.
- An ambush.
They lay in wait for the patrol.
1 more example
an enemy in wait
1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC - abbreviationellipsiscomputingEllipsis of wait state.
- obsoleteOne who watches; a watchman.
- UKin pluralobsoleteHautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians.
[…]as he returned home to his owne house, the waits should sound the hautboies all the way
1659, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “[Book XVII]”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] W. Hunt, for George Sawbridge, […], →OCLC - UKin pluralMusicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen.
1819-1820, Washington Irving, The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon The sound of the waits, rude as may be their minstrelsy, breaks upon the mild watches of a winter night with the effect of perfect harmony.
2 more examples
Hark! are the waits abroad?
1609–1612, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, “The Captaine”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii[…] the waits begin their rounds, and going from house to house, […] they sing carols and Christmas hymns until […] another Christmas-day has dawned.[…]
1890, Algernon Blackwood, Christmas in England
alternative waight
- informalTells the other speaker to stop talking, typing etc. for a moment, often to allow clarification.
- And so I went upstairs— - Wait. Your house has two floors?
Synonyms: hold on, wait a minute, just a minute
wait2
Wait3
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
verbTo wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.
verbTo attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.
verbTo defer or postpone (especially a meal).
interjectionTells the other speaker to stop talking, typing etc. for a moment, often to allow clarification.
delay until
More synonyms by meaning
nountime during which some action is awaited
nounthe act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
verblook forward to the probable occurrence of
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
wait · verb, noun, interjection
- Proto-Indo-European*weyd-“to see, know”
- Proto-Germanic*waitijaną“to show, guide, advise, direct”
- Old Norseveita“to give help to, assist, grant, cause to happen”
- Middle Englishwaiten
- Proto-Indo-European*weǵ-“to be fresh, cheerful, awake”
- Proto-Germanic*wahtwō“guard, watch”
- Frankish*wahtu“guard, watch”
- Frankish*wahtwēn“to watch, guard”
- Anglo-Normanwaiter
- Middle Englishwaiten
- Englishwait
From Middle English waiten, from Anglo-Norman waiter, waitier (compare French guetter from Old French gaitier, guaitier), from Frankish *wahtwēn (“to watch, guard”), derivative of Frankish *wahtu (“guard, watch”), from Proto-Germanic *wahtwō (“guard, watch”), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- (“to be fresh, cheerful, awake”). Cognate with Old High German wahtēn (“to watch, guard”), German Low German wachten (“to wait”), Dutch wachten (“to wait, expect”), French guetter (“to watch out for”), Saterland Frisian wachtje (“to wait”), West Frisian wachtsje (“to wait”), North Frisian wachtjen (“to stand, stay put”). More at watch. In some senses, merged or influenced by Middle English waiten, weiten (“to do good to, lie in wait for, to contrive good or harm on, catch, snare”), from Old Norse veita (“to give help to, assist, grant, cause to happen”), from Proto-Germanic *waitijaną (“to show, guide, advise, direct”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see, know”). Largely overtook native Middle English biden, from Old English bīdan, source of bide.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Frankish
Full word history & related roots →wait · noun
- Japanese待ち
- Englishwait
Calque of Japanese 待ち.
More words from Japanese
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans wag
- wagdelay until some event
Ancient Greek προσδέχομαι, μένω
- προσδέχομαι (prosdékhomai)delay until some event
- μένω (ménō)delay until some event
Arabic اِنْتَظَرَ
- اِنْتَظَرَ (intaẓara)delay until some event
Bengali অপেক্ষা করা
- অপেক্ষা করা (opekkha kora)delay until some event
Bulgarian ча́кам, оча́квам
- ча́кам (čákam)delay until some event
- оча́квам (očákvam)delay until some event
- обслу́жвам (obslúžvam)to serve customers
- серви́рам (servíram)to serve customers
- очакване (očakvane)a delay
Catalan esperar, esperar-se
- esperardelay until some event
- esperar-sedelay until some event
- esperaa delay
Chinese Cantonese 等, 企檯 /企台
- 等 (dang²)delay until some event
- 企檯 /企台to serve customers
Chinese Mandarin 等, 等待
- 等 (děng)delay until some event
- 等待 (děngdài)delay until some event
- 待 (dài)delay until some event
- 候 (hòu)delay until some event
Czech čekat, obsluhovat
- čekatdelay until some event
- obsluhovatto serve customers
Danish vente
- ventedelay until some event
Dutch wachten, afwachten
- wachtendelay until some event
- afwachtendelay until some event
- bedienento serve customers
Esperanto atendi
- atendidelay until some event
Estonian ootama
- ootamadelay until some event
Finnish odottaa, tarjoilla
- odottaadelay until some event
- tarjoillato serve customers
- odotusa delay
French attendre, patienter
- attendredelay until some event
- patienterdelay until some event
- servirto serve customers
- faire le serviceto serve customers
- attentea delay
German warten, bedienen
- wartendelay until some event
- bedienento serve customers
- Wartena delay
Greek περιμένω, σερβίρω
- περιμένω (periméno)delay until some event
- σερβίρω (servíro)to serve customers
Hawaiian kali
- kalidelay until some event
Hebrew חיכה \ חִכָּה, הִמְתִּין
- חיכה \ חִכָּה (khiká)delay until some event
- הִמְתִּין (himtín)delay until some event
Hindi प्रतीक्षा करना, इंतज़ार करना
- प्रतीक्षा करना (pratīkṣā karnā)delay until some event
- इंतज़ार करना (intzār karnā)delay until some event
- ठहरना (ṭhaharnā)delay until some event
Hungarian vár
- várdelay until some event
Icelandic bíða
- bíðadelay until some event
Indonesian menunggu
- menunggudelay until some event
Irish fan, fuirigh
- fandelay until some event
- fuirighdelay until some event
Italian aspettare, attendere
- aspettaredelay until some event
- attenderedelay until some event
- servire a tavolato serve customers
- attesaa delay
Japanese 待つ, ウエイターをする
- 待つ (matsu)delay until some event
- ウエイターをする (ueitā o suru)to serve customers
- ウエイトレスをする (ueitoresu o suru)to serve customers
- 待ち (machi)a delay
Korean 기다리다, 대기하다
- 기다리다 (gidarida)delay until some event
- 대기하다 (daegihada)delay until some event
- 시중들다 (sijungdeulda)to serve customers
- 서비스하다 (seobiseuhada)to serve customers
- 기다림 (gidarim)a delay
Latin expectō, exspectō
- expectōdelay until some event
- exspectōdelay until some event
- opperiordelay until some event
- expectatioa delay
Latvian gaidīt, apkalpot
- gaidītdelay until some event
- apkalpotto serve customers
Lithuanian laukti
- lauktidelay until some event
Malay menunggu
- menunggudelay until some event
Māori whanga, tatari
- whangadelay until some event
- tataridelay until some event
- ratoto serve customers
- whakaratoto serve customers
- tuarito serve customers
Norwegian Bokmål vente, bie
- ventedelay until some event
- biedelay until some event
Polish czekać, oczekiwać
- czekaćdelay until some event
- oczekiwaćdelay until some event
- kelnerowaćto serve customers
- obsługiwaćto serve customers
- obsłużyćto serve customers
- opóźnieniea delay
Portuguese esperar, aguardar
- esperardelay until some event
- aguardardelay until some event
- servirto serve customers
- esperaa delay
Romanian aștepta, a servi masa
- așteptadelay until some event
- a servi masato serve customers
- așteptarea delay
Russian ждать, подожда́ть
- ждать (ždatʹ)delay until some event
- подожда́ть (podoždátʹ)delay until some event
- ожида́ть (ožidátʹ)delay until some event
- чека́ть (čekátʹ)delay until some event
- обслу́живать (obslúživatʹ)to serve customers
- обслужи́ть (obslužítʹ)to serve customers
- ожида́ние (ožidánije)a delay
- задержка (zaderžka)a delay
Slovak čakať
- čakaťdelay until some event
Spanish esperar, aguardar
- esperardelay until some event
- aguardardelay until some event
- bancardelay until some event
- aguantardelay until some event
- servirto serve customers
- ser camareroto serve customers
- esperaa delay
- retrasoa delay
Swedish vänta, bida
- väntadelay until some event
- bidadelay until some event
- väntana delay
Tagalog maghintay, paghihintay
- maghintaydelay until some event
- paghihintaya delay
Tamil பொறுத்திரு
- பொறுத்திரு (poṟuttiru)delay until some event
Thai รอ
- รอ (rɔɔ)delay until some event
Turkish beklemek
- beklemekdelay until some event
Ukrainian чека́ти, жда́ти
- чека́ти (čekáty)delay until some event
- жда́ти (ždáty)delay until some event
- очі́кувати (očíkuvaty)delay until some event
Urdu اِنْتِظار کَرْنا, مُنْتَظِر ہونا
- اِنْتِظار کَرْنا (intizār karnā)delay until some event
- مُنْتَظِر ہونا (muntazir honā)delay until some event
- صَبْر کَرْنا (sabr karnā)delay until some event
- ٹَھہَرْنا (ṭhaharnā)delay until some event
Vietnamese đợi, chờ
- đợidelay until some event
- chờdelay until some event
- chờ đợidelay until some event
Welsh aros
- arosdelay until some event
Yiddish וואַרטן
- וואַרטן (vartn)delay until some event
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with wait
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
wait. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wait
“wait.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wait. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wait,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wait.
Source: wait on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.