Meaning of the word wait - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

Verb

I hate waiting in long lines.

They waited at the train station together.

You should have waited a little longer. He showed up right after you left.

I don’t have time to wait around. If he’s not here in five minutes, I’m leaving.

She waited behind after class to talk to the professor.

I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. How may I help you?

I waited and waited but he never showed up.

Wait! Don’t start the engine yet.

We waited for the sun to set before starting the fire.

I know she was happy when I lost my job. She was waiting to see me fail.

Noun

there was a long wait for the manager to come and help us

Recent Examples on the Web

In the combined kitchen and dining room, for example, the vintage side chairs that surround the custom marble dining table had previously been held in storage, waiting for the right house to debut them.

—Elizabeth Fazzare, ELLE Decor, 8 Apr. 2023

Don’t wait, the deadline to enter the Top Workplaces competition is May 19.

—Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 7 Apr. 2023

But don’t wait too long to order—the sale ends April 8.

—Ellen Mcalpine, Men’s Health, 7 Apr. 2023

North Dakota holds its legislative sessions every other year, which means bills that were in development last year didn’t have a chance to be heard and voted on — adding urgency to pass bills now rather than waiting another two years.

—Kimberly Kindy, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Apr. 2023

Visa is another in a line of big companies that have moved to city to take advantage of the waiting pool of Black talent to help diversify their ranks.

—Ellen Mcgirt, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2023

However, those who are willing to wait can stream the interview the next day with a regular Hulu subscription.

—Josie Howell | , al, 7 Apr. 2023

At a health-screening event in Sarasota, Florida, people gathered in a parking lot and waited their turn for blood pressure or diabetes checks.

—Stephanie Colombini, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2023

But Biden’s key decision to wait until U.S. troops were out before evacuating Afghan partners was based on flawed intelligence, the report argued.

—Jamie Mcintyre, Washington Examiner, 7 Apr. 2023

Given the large number of eligibility checks the state is conducting, officials warn that there could be long wait times for those who call the Oregon Eligibility customer service center and that members could experience possible interruptions to their benefits.

—Jamie Goldberg, oregonlive, 8 Apr. 2023

In line with that trend, passport wait times are up.

—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2023

As the first restriction-free summer travel season since COVID-19 began approaches, an unprecedented number of Americans are applying for new passports, causing longer-than-usual wait times.

—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2023

People have complained about customer service wait times that stretched to 14 hours, NBC News reported.

—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2023

Creuzot accepted partial responsibility for those wait times.

—Josephine Peterson, Dallas News, 3 Apr. 2023

The randomness of the wait time ensures that the situation will resolve itself after just a few tries.

—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 22 Mar. 2023

The current wait time for hearings was revealed to Glazer’s staff during a private meeting, and no written report was created.

—Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2023

Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, said the current wait time at Florida’s Planned Parenthood clinics averages 20 days.

—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2023

See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘wait.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Источник

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

(obsolete) waight

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English waiten, wayten, from Old Northern French 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.

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): /weɪt/
(General American) IPA^(key): /weɪt/, [weɪ̯ʔt]
Rhymes: -eɪt
Homophone: weight

Verb[edit]

wait (third-person singular simple present waits, present participle waiting, simple past and past participle waited)

(transitive, now rare) To delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to await. (Now generally superseded by “wait for”.)
- 1697, Virgil, “Aeneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
  
  Awed with these words, in camps they still abide, / And wait with longing looks their promised guide.
- 1992, Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety, Harper Perennial 2007, page 30:
  
  The Court had assembled, to wait events, in the huge antechamber known as the Œil de Boeuf.
(intransitive) To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
- 1697, Virgil, “Aeneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
  
  Haste, my dear father; ’tis no time to wait.
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 46:
  
  No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.
Wait here until your car arrives.
(intransitive, stative, US) To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.

She used to wait in this joint.
(transitive, obsolete) To attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.
- 1697, Virgil, “Aeneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
  
  He chose a thousand horse, the flower of all / His warlike troops, to wait the funeral.
- 1714, Nicholas Rowe, The Tragedy of Jane Shore
  
  Remorse and heaviness of heart shall wait thee, / And everlasting anguish be thy portion.
(obsolete) To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany.
(obsolete, colloquial) To defer or postpone (especially a meal).
- 1791, Charlotte Smith, Celestina, Broadview 2004, p. 185:
  
  Montague Thorold, who impatiently watched her wherever she went, came to tell her that his mother waited breakfast for her.
(intransitive) To remain faithful to one’s partner or betrothed during a prolonged period of absence.
- 1957,Dagny Taggart and Francisco d’Anconia, Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged
  
  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.»
- 1974, The Bee Gees, Night Fever
  
  I will wait / Even if it takes forever / I will wait / Even if it takes a lifetime

Usage notes[edit]

In sense 1, this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Synonyms[edit]

(delay until): await, wait for; See also Thesaurus:wait for
(delay until some event): hold one’s breath; See also Thesaurus:wait
(serve customers): wait on, wait upon, serve
(attend with ceremony or respect): bestand, serve, tend; See also Thesaurus:serve
(attend as a consequence): attend, escort, go with
(defer or postpone): defer, postpone; See also Thesaurus:procrastinate
(remain celibate):

Derived terms[edit]

can’t wait
hurry up and wait
wait around
wait for
wait on
wait staff
wait state
wait tables
waiter
waiting room
waitperson
waitress
waitron

Translations[edit]

transitive: delay until — see await

delay until some event

Afrikaans: wag
Albanian: pres (sq)
American Sign Language: Claw5@InsideTrunkhigh-PalmUp-Claw5@InsideTrunkhigh-PalmUp Wiggle-Wiggle
Amharic: መጠበቅ (mäṭäbäḳ)
Arabic: اِنْتَظَرَ‎ (ar) (intaẓara)

Egyptian Arabic: استنى‎ (istanna)

Hijazi Arabic: استنى‎ (astanna), انتظر‎ (antaẓir)

Moroccan Arabic: تسنى‎ (tsanna), ستنى‎ (stanna), عاين‎ (ʿāyen)
Armenian: սպասել (hy) (spasel)
Aromanian: ashteptu
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܣܵܦܹܪ‎ (saper)
Asturian: esperar, aguardar
Azerbaijani: gözləmək (az)
Bashkir: көтөү (kötöw)
Belarusian: чака́ць impf (čakácʹ), пачака́ць pf (pačakácʹ); ждаць impf (ždacʹ)
Bengali: অপেক্ষা করা (bn) (opekkha kora)
Bulgarian: ча́кам (bg) impf (čákam), очаквам (bg) (očakvam)
Burmese: စောင့် (my) (caung.)
Catalan: esperar (ca), esperar-se (ca)
Chinese:

Cantonese: 等 (yue) (dang²)

Dungan: дын (dɨn)

Mandarin: 等 (zh) (děng), 等待 (zh) (děngdài), 待 (zh) (dài), 候 (zh) (hòu)
Czech: čekat (cs) impf
Danish: vente
Dutch: wachten (nl), afwachten (nl)
Esperanto: atendi
Estonian: ootama
Even: алат- (alat-)
Evenki: алат- (alat-)
Ewe: lala
Faroese: bíða
Finnish: odottaa (fi)
French: attendre (fr), patienter (fr)
Friulian: spietâ
Galician: esperar (gl), agardar (gl), mentrexar
Gallurese: asittà, ambarà
Georgian: დალოდება (dalodeba)
German: warten (de)

Alemannic German: beite
Gothic: 𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (beidan)
Greek: περιμένω (el) (periméno)

Ancient: προσδέχομαι (prosdékhomai), μένω (ménō)
Hawaiian: kali
Hebrew: חיכה חִכָּה‎ (khiká), הִמְתִּין‎ (himtín)
Hindi: इंतज़ार करना (intzār karnā)
Hungarian: vár
Icelandic: bíða (is)
Ido: vartar (io)
Indonesian: menunggu (id)
Irish: fan
Istriot: spattà
Italian: aspettare (it), attendere (it)
Japanese: 待つ (ja) (まつ, matsu)
Kazakh: күту (kk) (kütu), тосу (tosu)
Khmer: ចាំ (km) (cam), រងចាំ (rɔɔng cam)
Korean: 기다리다 (ko) (gidarida), 대기하다 (ko) (daegihada)
Kumyk: къаравулламакъ (qarawullamaq), къарамакъ (qaramaq), гёзлемек (gözlemek)
Kurdish:

Central Kurdish: چاوەڕێ کردن‎ (çawerrê kirdin)
Kyrgyz: күтүү (ky) (kütüü)
Ladino: asperar
Lao: ລໍ (löö), ລໍຖ້າ (lǭ thā)
Latgalian: gaideit
Latin: expectō, exspectō, opperior
Latvian: gaidīt
Lithuanian: laukti (lt)
Lombard: spettà (lmo)
Luxembourgish: waarden
Macedonian: че́ка impf (čéka)
Malay: menunggu
Maltese: stenna
Maori: whanga, tatari, tatari
Mongolian: хүлээх (mn) (xüleex)
Nanai: халачи-
Neapolitan: aspettà
Nepali: पर्खनु (parkhanu)
Norman: attendre
Northern Sami: vuordit
Norwegian:

Bokmål: vente (no)

Nynorsk: venta
Occitan: esperar (oc)
Old Church Slavonic:

Cyrillic: жьдати impf (žĭdati), чекати impf (čekati)

Glagolitic: ⰶⱐⰴⰰⱅⰻ impf (žĭdati)
Old English: bīdan, ġebīdan
Old Polish: żdać impf
Pashto: انتظارايستل‎ (entezãristᶕl)
Persian: منتظر شدن‎ (montazer šodan), صبر کردن‎ (fa) (sabr kardan), انتظار داشتن‎ (fa) (entezâr dâštan), وایسادن‎ (vâysâdan) (colloquial)
Polish: czekać (pl) impf, oczekiwać (pl) impf
Portuguese: esperar (pt), aguardar (pt)
Quechua: suyay, suyai, şuyai
Romanian: aștepta (ro)
Romansch: spetgar
Russian: ждать (ru) impf (ždatʹ), подожда́ть (ru) pf (podoždátʹ), ожида́ть (ru) impf (ožidátʹ), чека́ть (ru) impf (čekátʹ) (Southern Russia, Ukraine)
Sanskrit: प्रतीक्षते (sa) (pratīkṣate)
Sardinian:

Campidanese: abettài, agguardai, aspettài

Logudorese: appelidare, appittu, isettare, ispettare
Sassarese: aipittà, aisittà, aisitt’
Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic: чекати impf

Roman: čekati (sh) impf
Slovak: čakať impf
Slovene: čakati (sl) impf
Somali: sugid
Sorbian:

Upper Sorbian: čakać (hsb) impf
Spanish: esperar (es), aguardar (es)
Swedish: vänta (sv), bida (sv)
Tagalog: maghintay
Tajik: мунтазир шудан (muntazir šudan)
Tatar: көтәргә (tt) (kötärgä)
Thai: รอ (th) (rɔɔ)
Tibetan: སྒུག བསྒུགས བསྒུག སྒུགས (sgug bsgugs bsgug sgugs), ཕེབས་སྒུག་ཞུ (phebs sgug zhu) (honorific)
Turkish: beklemek (tr)
Turkmen: garaşmak
Ukrainian: чека́ти impf (čekáty), жда́ти impf (ždáty), очі́кувати impf (očíkuvaty)
Urdu: انتظار کرنا‎ (intazār karnā)
Uyghur: كۈتمەك‎ (kütmek)
Uzbek: kutmoq (uz)
Venetian: aspetar, spetar
Vietnamese: đợi (vi), chờ (vi), chờ đợi (vi)
Volapük: stebedön (vo)
Walloon: ratinde (wa), rawårder (wa), atinde (wa)
Welsh: aros (cy)
Yiddish: וואַרטן‎ (vartn)
Zazaki: vende, pawen, pawen, poşeyen

to serve customers

Armenian: սպասարկել (hy) (spasarkel)
Asturian: sirvir
Bulgarian: обслу́жвам (bg) impf (obslúžvam), сервирам (bg) (serviram)
Chinese:

Cantonese: 企檯／企台 (kei⁵ toi^4-2), (as a waiter, in a restaurant)
Czech: obsluhovat
Dutch: bedienen (nl)
Finnish: tarjoilla (fi)
French: servir (fr), faire le service
German: bedienen (de)
Greek: σερβίρω (el) (servíro)
Italian: servire a tavola
Japanese: ウエイターをする m (ueitā o suru), ウエイトレスをする f (ueitoresu o suru)
Korean: 시중들다 (sijungdeulda), 서비스하다 (ko) (seobiseuhada)
Latvian: apkalpot
Macedonian: слу́жи impf (slúži)
Polish: kelnerować impf, obsługiwać (pl) impf, obsłużyć (pl) pf
Portuguese: servir (pt)
Romanian: a servi masa
Russian: обслу́живать (ru) impf (obslúživatʹ), обслужи́ть (ru) pf (obslužítʹ)
Spanish: servir (es), ser camarero (Spain)
Volapük: bötön (vo)

Noun[edit]

wait (plural waits)

A delay.

I had a very long wait at the airport security check.
An ambush.

They lay in wait for the patrol.
(computing) Short for wait state.
(obsolete) One who watches; a watchman.
(in the plural, obsolete, UK) Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians.
- 1659, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “[Book XVII]”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] W. Hunt, for George Sawbridge, […], →OCLC:
  
  […] as he returned home to his owne house, the waits should sound the hautboies all the way
(in the plural, UK) Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen. [formerly waites, wayghtes.]
- 1609–1612, Francis Beaumont; John Fletcher, “The Captaine”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii:
  
  Hark! are the waits abroad?
- 1819-1820, Washington Irving, The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon
  
  The sound of the waits, rude as may be their minstrelsy, breaks upon the mild watches of a winter night with the effect of perfect harmony.

[edit]

wake
watch

Translations[edit]

a delay

Asturian: espera f
Bulgarian: очакване (bg) n (očakvane)
Catalan: espera (ca) f
Finnish: odotus (fi)
French: attente (fr) f
Galician: espera f
German: Warten (de)
Italian: attesa (it)
Japanese: 待ち (ja) (machi)
Korean: 기다림 (gidarim)
Latin: expectatio f
Macedonian: чекање n (čekanje), исчекувње n (isčekuvnje)
Occitan: espèra (oc) f
Portuguese: espera (pt) f
Romanian: așteptare (ro) f
Russian: ожида́ние (ru) n (ožidánije)
Sardinian:

Campidanese: abetu, aspettu

Gallurese: asèttu

Logudorese: iséttu
Sassarese: aisettu
Spanish: espera (es) f, retraso (es) m

Interjection[edit]

wait

(informal) Tells the other speaker to stop talking, typing etc. for a moment.

Derived terms[edit]

wait a minute

Anagrams[edit]

WTAI

Elfdalian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Norse hvítr, from Proto-Germanic *hwītaz. Cognate with Swedish vit.

Adjective[edit]

wait

white

Gothic[edit]

Romanization[edit]

wait

Romanization of 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍄

Tok Pisin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English white.

Adjective[edit]

wait

white

Источник

ожидание, выжидание, засада, ждать, подождать, дожидаться, выжидать

существительное ↓

- ожидание

in wait for — в ожидании
to have a long wait for smth. — долго ожидать чего-л.

- театр. антракт; перерыв
- засада

to lie in wait — быть /находиться/ в засаде; подкарауливать кого-л.
to lay wait for smb. — устроить кому-л. засаду

- pl. христославы (певцы, ходящие по домам в сочельник)

глагол ↓

- (часто for) ждать; ожидать; дожидаться

to wait for a person [for a train] — ждать человека [поезд]
to wait for smth. to happen — ожидать, когда что-л. произойдёт
I can’t wait — а) я не могу ждать; б) сл. жду не дождусь; сгораю от нетерпения
to wait orders — ждать распоряжений
wait until he comes — дождитесь его прихода
to keep smb. waiting — заставлять себя ждать

- остановиться, чтобы подождать кого-л.

wait behind — задержаться, отстать
I waited behind to see what had happened — я задержался, чтобы посмотреть, что случилось

- пережидать что-л.

to wait out a storm — переждать грозу

- выжидать

to wait one’s opportunity /one’s chance/ — выжидать удобного случая
wait off — спорт. приберегать силы к концу состязания

- откладывать

that work will have to wait — эту работу придётся отложить, с этой работой придётся подождать

ещё 9 вариантов

Мои примеры

Словосочетания

a student who could not wait to fawn over the new teacher — студент, который не мог дождаться возможности подлизаться к новому учителю
wait till the cows come home — ждать до бесконечности
to see which way the cat jumps, to wait for the cat to jump — ждать, откуда ветер подует
to wait for the dust to settle — ждать, пока пыль осядет
to wait for years — ждать годами
wait (half) a jiff — подождите минутку
to wait in line — ждать очереди
wait and see — поживем — увидим
to go into a wait state — переходить в состояние ожидания
to wait one’s turn — ждать своей очереди
wait awhile — подождите немного
wait for a person — ждать человека

Примеры с переводом

Wait for me!

Подождите меня!

I’ll wait in the car.

Я буду ждать в машине.

Hey, wait a minute!

Эй, подождите минутку!

Wait until I come.

Подожди, пока я приду.

Wait a while longer.

Подождите ещё немного.

Wait for the rain to pass.

Подожди, пока пройдёт дождь.

‘Wait up!’ he called.

— Подождите! — окликнул он.

ещё 23 примера свернуть

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

He faced the uninviting prospect of a two-hour wait for the next train.

…sullen and bored at his in-laws’ house, he couldn’t wait for the holidays to end…

…right now this clay is just a shapeless lump, but wait until I’m done sculpting it…

Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.

Фразовые глаголы

wait on — прислуживать, наносить визит, являться результатом, являться к кому-л.
wait up — дожидаться, не ложиться спать

Возможные однокоренные слова

waiter — официант, поднос, подавальщик, кухонный лифт, вращающийся столик для закусок
waiting — ожидание, ждущий, выжидательный, прислуживающий

Формы слова

verb
I/you/we/they: wait
he/she/it: waits
ing ф. (present participle): waiting
2-я ф. (past tense): waited
3-я ф. (past participle): waited

Источник

Other forms: waiting; waited; waits

A wait is the time it takes for something to happen. The wait to get the brand new computer was four hours long, but it was worth it.

The word wait originated in the 1200s, from the Old Northern French word waitier: «to watch with hostile intent.» Even back then, people didn’t like to wait. Anticipating something that will happen is waiting, though sometimes what you wait for never comes — like Godot, who never shows up in the play «Waiting for Godot.» When you wait to do something, you delay. When you wait tables, you serve people, preferably without delay.

Definitions of wait

verb

stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

“I had to
wait on line for an hour to get the tickets”
synonyms:

hold back, hold off

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types:

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hold out

wait uncompromisingly for something desirable

delay

act later than planned, scheduled, or required

hesitate, pause

interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing

dilly-dally, dillydally, drag one’s feet, drag one’s heels, procrastinate, shillyshally, stall

postpone doing what one should be doing

procrastinate

postpone or delay needlessly

defer, hold over, postpone, prorogue, put off, put over, remit, set back, shelve, table

hold back to a later time

type of:

act, move

perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
verb

look forward to the probable occurrence of

“he is
waiting to be drafted”

synonyms:

await, expect, look

anticipate, expect

regard something as probable or likely
noun

time during which some action is awaited
noun

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

“the
wait was an ordeal for him”

synonyms:

waiting
verb

serve as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant

“I’m
waiting on tables at Maxim’s”

synonyms:

waitress

see moresee less

type of:

work

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘wait’.
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Britannica Dictionary definition of WAIT

[no object]

to stay in a place until an expected event happens, until someone arrives, until it is your turn to do something, etc.

I hate waiting in long lines.
They waited at the train station together.
You should have waited a little longer. He showed up right after you left.
I don’t have time to wait around. If he’s not here in five minutes, I’m leaving.
She waited behind after class to talk to the professor.
I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. How may I help you?
I waited and waited but he never showed up.

— often followed by to + verb

I’m waiting to use the bathroom.
The taxi is waiting to bring us to the airport.
Doctors are ready and waiting to give aid.

— often + for

She read the newspaper while waiting for the bus.
Wait for me! I’ll go with you.
Take a seat and wait for your name to be called.
It can take over an hour to be served at the restaurant, but the food is worth waiting for.

to not do something until something else happens

[no object]

Wait! Don’t start the engine yet.
We waited for the sun to set before starting the fire.

— often + until

We’ll wait until you come back to start the movie. [=we will not start the movie until you come back]

[+ object]

You will have to wait your turn. [=you cannot do something until it is your turn]

[no object]

to remain in a state in which you expect or hope that something will happen soon

I know she was happy when I lost my job. She was waiting to see me fail.
I have waited for this opportunity for a long time.

to remain in a state in which you expect to learn or find out something soon

You will have to wait two weeks for the test results.
She waited for his answer.
We are waiting to hear back from the doctor.
He’ll be a star some day—just (you) wait. [=I feel sure that he will be a star some day]
I have to wait and see whether or not I got the job.
“What are you making?” “Wait and see.”

[no object]

to be done or dealt with at a later time

The other issues will just have to wait until our next meeting.
“Can this wait until tomorrow?” “No, it can’t wait.”

[no object]

to be in a place ready to be dealt with, taken, etc.

— always used as (be) waiting

It’s time to come inside. Dinner is waiting.

— often + for

There is a package waiting for you at home.
She had several messages waiting for her at the office.

accident waiting to happen

—

see accident

can’t wait

can hardly wait

◊ If you can’t wait or can hardly wait, you are very excited about doing something or eager for something to happen or begin.

The concert is tomorrow, and we can hardly wait!
The children can hardly wait for summer.
I can’t wait to try your apple pie.

hurry up and wait

—

see ¹hurry

wait a minute/moment/second

— used to tell someone to stop and wait briefly

Wait a minute. I need to tie my shoe.
Please wait one moment while I take this call.
If you would just wait a second, I could explain what happened.

— used to interrupt someone or something because you have noticed, thought of, or remembered something

Wait a second—that’s not what she said.
Wait a minute. I just remembered where I put the keys.

wait at table

British, formal

to serve food or drinks as a waiter or waitress

He waited at table for two years.

wait for it

chiefly British, informal

— used to emphasize that the following statement is foolish, surprising, funny, etc.

He says he was fired because—wait for it—he refused to compromise his principles.

wait in

[phrasal verb]

British

to stay at home and wait for someone or something to arrive

I can’t go out. I’ve got to wait in for a delivery.

wait on

[phrasal verb]

also

wait upon

wait on/upon (someone)

to serve food or drinks as a waiter or waitress to (someone)

The hostess waits on tables/people when the restaurant is crowded.

to provide service to (a customer)

to help (a customer) make purchases

He is busy waiting on customers at the moment.

to act as a servant to (someone)

He seems to expect his wife to wait on him.
She waited on her children hand and foot. [=she acted like a servant to her children; she provided her children with everything they needed or wanted]

wait on/upon (someone or something)

chiefly US

to wait for (someone or something) to arrive or happen

We waited on him, but he never came.
The government’s decision must wait on the committee’s report. [=the government’s decision will not be made until the committee has issued its report]

wait (something) out

wait out (something)

to stay in one place until the end of (something)

We waited out the storm in our hotel room.

to serve food or drinks as a waiter or waitress

She has a job waiting tables.

wait until/till

— used to emphasize that a future event is going to be very surprising, important, etc.

Wait till you see their new house. It’s just beautiful!
You think you’re in trouble now? Just wait until your father finds out what you did, young lady! [=your father will be very angry and will punish you when he finds out what you did]

to delay going to bed while you wait for someone to arrive

I’ll be late; don’t wait up (for me).

chiefly US, informal

to stop moving forward so that someone who is behind you can join you

Hey, wait up (for me)! I’m going with you.

what are you waiting for?

— used to say that someone should do something immediately

What are we waiting for? Let’s go inside and get something to eat.
If you have so much work to do, then what are you waiting for?

Britannica Dictionary definition of WAIT

[count]

a period of time when you must wait

— usually singular

There is never a wait at that restaurant.
He had a long wait in line.
The hostess said there would be a 45-minute wait before she could seat us.
The dish takes a long time to prepare, but the results are worth the wait.

lie in wait

to hide and wait for the right moment to make an attack

The killer may have been lying in wait for him.

— sometimes used figuratively

No one knows what lies in wait for us in the coming year. [=no one knows what will happen to us in the coming year]

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