wait

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To delay movement or action until some event or time.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

wayt

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈweɪt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

intransitivestativeUS
To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.
intransitive
To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
Wait before acting
intransitive
To remain faithful to one's partner or betrothed during a prolonged period of absence.

noun

A delay.
in the pluralUK
Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen.
An ambush.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A2 · Elementary
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: (intransitive, stative, US) To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.

Used this way, wait is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: No strong connotation
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use wait

“I'm waiting on tables at Maxim's.”verb
“The wait was an ordeal for him.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

hardly waitwait beforewait outsidewait patiently

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

await
To serve or attend; to wait on, wait upon.
look
As an intransitive verb, often with "at".
expect
To wait for; to await.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

waitingnounInflected form
The act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something).
waiternounInflected form
A person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant).

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

waiting areanounCompound term
A room (as in a hotel or airport) with seating where people can wait.
waiting gamenounCompound term
A strategy of delay.
waiting linenounCompound term
A line of people or vehicles waiting for something.
waiting listnounCompound term
A roster of those waiting to obtain something.
waiting roomnounCompound term
A room (as in a hotel or airport) with seating where people can wait.
wait onverbCompound term
Work for or be a servant to.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.