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wait - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'wait' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Wait [ v. i.]
- To watch; to observe; to take notice.
- To stay or rest in expectation; to stop or remain stationary till the arrival of some person or event; to rest in patience; to stay; not to depart.
- The act of waiting; a delay; a halt.
- Ambush.
- One who watches; a watchman.
- Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians; not used in the singular.
- Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen.
2 . Wait [ v. t.]
- To stay for; to rest or remain stationary in expectation of; to await; as, to wait orders.
- To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany; to await.
- To attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.
- To cause to wait; to defer; to postpone; -- said of a meal; as, to wait dinner.

Meaning of 'wait' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . wait [ n]
Meaning (1):
- time during which some action is awaited
Example in sentence:
  • he ordered a hold in the action;
  • instant replay caused too long a delay
Meaning (2):
- the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
Example in sentence:
  • the wait was an ordeal for him
3 . wait [ v]
Meaning (3):
- look forward to the probable occurrence of
Example in sentence:
  • he is waiting to be drafted;
  • She is looking to a promotion;
  • We were expecting a visit from our relatives
Meaning (4):
- stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
Example in sentence:
  • I had to wait on line for an hour to get the tickets
Meaning (5):
- serve as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant
Example in sentence:
  • I'm waiting on tables at Maxim's
Meaning (6):
- wait before acting
Example in sentence:
  • the scientists held off announcing their results until they repeated the experiment

Nearby Words:

waid waif waift wail wailed wailer waileress wailful wailing wailingly

See 'wait' also in:

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Related Definitions

  • Customer wait time
    Customer wait time refers to the total elapsed time between issuance of a customer order and satisfaction of that order. Also called CWT.

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