What does "wait" mean?
A delay.
Wait
/weɪt/ intj, name, noun, verb, slang
intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A delay.
- Grammar: wait is listed as intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: await, delay, expect, hold.
- Useful contrasts: hastening effect, italian forza movement, legged.
- Usage evidence: I don't want to wait that long.
How to use "wait"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wait" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "wait" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "wait" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "wait" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "wait" is acting as intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "await" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "wait", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A delay.
"I had a very long wait at the airport security check."
- 2 the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something) wordnet
- 3 An ambush.
"They lay in wait for the patrol."
- 4 time during which some action is awaited wordnet
- 5 Ellipsis of wait state. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 One who watches; a watchman. obsolete
- 7 Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians. UK, in-plural, obsolete
"[…]as he returned home to his owne house, the waits should sound the hautboies all the way"
- 8 Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen. UK, in-plural
"Hark! are the waits abroad?"
Verb
- 1 To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness. intransitive
"Wait here until your car arrives."
- 2 look forward to the probable occurrence of wordnet
- 3 To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment. US, intransitive, stative
"She used to wait in this joint."
- 4 serve as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant wordnet
- 5 To delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to await. (Now generally superseded by “wait for”.) archaic, transitive
"to wait one’s turn"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 stay in one place and anticipate or expect something wordnet
- 7 To attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect. obsolete, transitive
"He chose a thousand horse, the flower of all / His warlike troops, to wait the funeral."
- 8 wait before acting wordnet
- 9 To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany. obsolete
- 10 To defer or postpone (especially a meal). colloquial, obsolete
"Montague Thorold, who impatiently watched her wherever she went, came to tell her that his mother waited breakfast for her."
- 11 To watch with malicious intent; to lie in wait obsolete
- 12 To remain faithful to one’s partner or betrothed during a prolonged period of absence. intransitive
"She did not question him. Before leaving, she asked only, "When will I see you again?" He answered, "I don't know. Don't wait for me, Dagny. Next time we meet, you will not want to see me.""
Intj
- 1 Tells the other speaker to stop talking, typing etc. for a moment, often to allow clarification. informal
"- And so I went upstairs— - Wait. Your house has two floors?"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"I don't want to wait that long."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "wait"?
Common synonyms include: await, delay, expect, hold, a lie, abide.
How do you use "wait" in a sentence?
I don't want to wait that long.
How do you pronounce "wait"?
Pronounced /weɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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, source of bide.
Etymology 2
English surname, variant of Waite.