Definition of WAIT

wait

Meanings

Plural: wait, waited, waits

Noun

  • time during which some action is awaited
  • the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
    • "the wait was an ordeal for him"
  • A delay.
  • An ambush.
  • Ellipsis of wait state.
  • One who watches; a watchman.
  • Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians.
  • Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen.

Verb

  • stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
    • "I had to wait on line for an hour to get the tickets"
  • wait before acting
  • look forward to the probable occurrence of
    • "he is waiting to be drafted"
  • serve as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant
    • "I'm waiting on tables at Maxim's"
  • To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
  • To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.
  • To delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to await. (Now generally superseded by “wait for”.)
  • To attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.
  • To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany.
  • To defer or postpone (especially a meal).
  • To watch with malicious intent; to lie in wait
  • To remain faithful to one’s partner or betrothed during a prolonged period of absence.

Intj

  • Tells the other speaker to stop talking, typing etc. for a moment, often to allow clarification.

Origin / Etymology

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.

Synonyms

abide, attend, await, back that train up, bestand, bide, bide one's time, defer, delay, escort, expect, go with, hang on, hold, hold back, hold off, hold on, hold one's breath, hold one's horses, hold one's water, hold out, just a minute, look, mark time, postpone, postponement, serve, stand by, stay, tend, time lag, twiddle one's thumbs, wait, wait a minute, wait for, wait on, wait upon, waiting, waitress

Antonyms

act, go it blind, grasp, grasp the nettle, jump at the chance, jump on, jump the gun, shoot first and ask questions later, shoot from the hip

Scrabble Score: 7

wait is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
wait is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
wait is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 7

wait is a valid Words With Friends word