wait (waits plural & 3rd person present) (waiting present participle) (waited past tense & past participle )
1 verb When you waitfor something or someone, you spend some time doing very little, because you cannot act until that thing happens or that person arrives.
no passive
I walk to a street corner and wait for the school bus... V for n
Stop waiting for things to happen. Make them happen... V for n to-inf
I waited to see how she responded... V to-inf
Angus got out of the car to wait... V
We will have to wait a week or so before we know whether the operation is a success... V n
He told waiting journalists that he did not expect a referendum to be held for several months. V-ing, Also V n for n
waiting n-uncount
The waiting became almost unbearable.
2 n-count A wait is a period of time in which you do very little, before something happens or before you can do something.
usu sing
...the four-hour wait for the organizers to declare the result.
3 verb If something is waitingfor you, it is ready for you to use, have, or do.
usu cont
There'll be a car waiting for you... V for n
When we came home we had a meal waiting for us... have n V-ing for n
Ships with unfurled sails wait to take them aboard... V to-inf
4 verb If you say that something can wait, you mean that it is not important or urgent and so you will deal with it or do it later.
no cont
I want to talk to you, but it can wait... V
Any changes will have to wait until sponsors can be found. V
5 verb You can use wait when you are trying to make someone feel excited, or to encourage or threaten them.
only imper
If you think this all sounds very exciting, just wait until you read the book... V until cl/n
As soon as you get some food inside you, you'll feel more cheerful. Just you wait. V
6 verb Wait is used in expressions such as wait a minute, wait a second, and wait a moment to interrupt someone when they are speaking, for example because you object to what they are saying or because you want them to repeat something.
SPOKEN only imper
(=hold on, hang on)
`Wait a minute!' he broke in. `This is not giving her a fair hearing!' V n
7 verb If an employee waitson you, for example in a restaurant or hotel, they take orders from you and bring you what you want.
There were plenty of servants to wait on her... V on n
Each student is expected to wait at table for one week each semester. V at n
8 If you say that you can't wait to do something or can hardly wait to do it, you are emphasizing that you are very excited about it and eager to do it.
SPOKEN
can't wait/can hardly wait phrase oft PHR to-inf (emphasis)
We can't wait to get started..., It's gonna be great. I can hardly wait...
9 If you tell someone to wait and see, you tell them that they must be patient or that they must not worry about what is going to happen in the future because they have no control over it.
wait and see phrase oft PHR n, PHR wh
We'll have to wait and see what happens., ...a wait-and-see attitude. wait around phrasal verb
in BRIT, also use wait about If you wait around or wait about, you stay in the same place, usually doing very little, because you cannot act before something happens or before someone arrives.
The attacker may have been waiting around for an opportunity to strike... V P for n
I waited around to speak to the doctor. V P to-inf
...the ghastly tedium of waiting about at the airport. V P wait in phrasal verb If you wait in, you deliberately stay at home and do not go out, for example because someone is coming to see you.
(mainly BRIT)
(=stay in)
If I'd waited in for you I could have waited all day... V P for n wait on phrasal verb If you are waiting on something, you are waiting for it to happen, for example before you do or decide anything.
(AM)
Since then I've been waiting on events... V P n wait up
1 phrasal verb If you wait up, you deliberately do not go to bed, especially because you are expecting someone to return home late at night.
(=stay up)
I hope he doesn't expect you to wait up for him... V P for n
Don't wait up. V P
2 phrasal verb If you ask someone to wait up, you are asking them to go more slowly or to stop and wait for you. (AM) INFORMAL usu imper
(=wait) I was running down the hill shouting, `Michael, Michael, man, wait up'. V P
call waiting
Call waiting is a telephone service that sends you a signal if another call arrives while you are already on the phone. n-uncount oft N n
lady-in-waiting (ladies-in-waiting plural )A lady-in-waiting is a woman whose job is to help a queen or princess. n-count
waiting game (waiting games plural )If you play a waiting game, you deal with a situation by deliberately doing nothing, because you believe you will gain an advantage by acting later, or because you are waiting to see how other people are going to act. n-count usu sing
He's playing a waiting-game. He'll hope to hang on as long as possible until the pressure is off.
waiting list (waiting lists plural )A waiting list is a list of people who have asked for something which cannot be given to them immediately, for example medical treatment, housing, or training, and who must therefore wait until it is available. n-count oft on N
There were 20,000 people on the waiting list for a home.
waiting room (waiting rooms plural ), waiting-room A waiting room is a room in a place such as a railway station or a clinic, where people can sit down while they wait. n-count
