wait state

noun

Any of several instances in which a computer's processor cannot execute instructions (either for the entire computer, or just for a specific task) until an I/O operation completes, or until an interrupt is resolved.

“With memory that slow, the processor is going to spend most of its time on wait states.”

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Meanings

nounwait state (plural wait states)

plural wait states

  1. computingAny of several instances in which a computer's processor cannot execute instructions (either for the entire computer, or just for a specific task) until an I/O operation completes, or until an interrupt is resolved.

    With memory that slow, the processor is going to spend most of its time on wait states.

Cite this entry
APA

wait state. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wait%20state

MLA

“wait state.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wait%20state. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wait state,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wait%20state.

Source: wait state on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.