- 1
To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.intransitive
- Wait here until your car arrives.
- I’m still waiting for you to pay me back the money I lent you..
- 2
To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.USintransitivestative
- She used to wait in this joint.
- 3
To delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to await. (Now generally superseded by “wait for”.)archaictransitive
- to wait one’s turn
- 4
To attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.obsoletetransitive
- He chose a thousand horse, the flower of all / His warlike troops, to wait the funeral.
- Remorse and heaviness of heart shall wait thee, / And everlasting anguish be thy portion.
- 5
To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany.obsolete
- 6
To defer or postpone (especially a meal).colloquialobsolete
- Montague Thorold, who impatiently watched her wherever she went, came to tell her that his mother waited breakfast for her.
- 7
To watch with malicious intent; to lie in waitobsolete
- 8
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."
- I will wait / Even if it takes forever / I will wait / Even if it takes a lifetime
syn. await · wait for · serve · tend · postpone · abide · back that train up · bide · bide one's time · expect · hang on · hold on
ant. act · grasp · grasp the nettle · jump at the chance · jump on · go it blind · jump the gun · shoot first and ask questions later