wait for the ball to drop

verb

To wait in expectation of an occurrence.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbwait for the ball to drop (third-person singular simple present waits for the ball to drop, present participle waiting for the ball to drop, simple past and past participle waited for the ball to drop)

present singular third person waits for the ball to drop · participle present waiting for the ball to drop · participle past waited for the ball to drop · past waited for the ball to drop

  1. idiomaticrareTo wait in expectation of an occurrence.

Origin

An allusion to the Times Square Ball, and perhaps other time balls.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

wait for the ball to drop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wait%20for%20the%20ball%20to%20drop

MLA

“wait for the ball to drop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wait%20for%20the%20ball%20to%20drop. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wait for the ball to drop,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wait%20for%20the%20ball%20to%20drop.

Source: wait for the ball to drop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.