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wait
To wait is defined as to stay or remain in one place until something happens.
(verb)- An example of to wait is standing in line for movie theater tickets.
- An example of to wait is expecting dinner guests to show up at your house who don't show until dessert.
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See wait in Webster's New World College Dictionary
intransitive verb
- to stay in a place or remain in readiness or in anticipation (until something expected happens or for someone to arrive or catch up)
- to be ready or at hand: dinner was waiting for them
- to remain temporarily undone or neglected: let that job wait
- to serve food at a meal: with at or on: to wait at table, to wait on a person
Origin: ME waiten < NormFr waitier < Frank *wahten, to guard, akin to OHG wahta, a guard, watch: for IE base see wake
transitive verb
- to be, remain, or delay in expectation or anticipation of; await: to wait orders, to wait one's turn
- Informal to delay serving (a meal) as in waiting for someone: to wait dinner
- Obsolete to attend upon or escort, esp. as a token of respect or honor
- Obsolete to attend as a consequence
noun
- the act or fact of waiting
- a period of waiting: a four-hour wait
- in England,
- any of a group of singers and musicians who go through the streets at Christmastime performing songs and carols for small gifts of money
- any tune so performed
- Obsolete a member of a band of musicians formerly employed by a city or town in England to play at entertainments
- Obsolete a watchman
See wait in American Heritage Dictionary 4
verb wait·ed, wait·ing, waits verb, intransitive
- a. To remain or rest in expectation: waiting for the guests to arrive. See Synonyms at stay1.b. To tarry until another catches up.
- To remain or be in readiness: lunch waiting on the table.
- To remain temporarily neglected, unattended to, or postponed: The trip will have to wait.
- To work as a waiter or waitress.
- To remain or stay in expectation of; await: wait one's turn.
- Informal To delay (a meal or an event); postpone: They waited lunch for us.
- To be a waiter or waitress at: wait tables.
- The act of waiting or the time spent waiting.
- Chiefly British a. One of a group of musicians employed, usually by a city, to play in parades or public ceremonies.b. One of a group of musicians or carolers who perform in the streets at Christmastime.
Origin:
Origin: Middle English waiten
Origin: , from Old North French waitier, to watch
Origin: , of Germanic origin; see weg- in Indo-European roots
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