wait

v., wait·ed, wait·ing, waits.

v.intr.

1. 1. To remain or rest in expectation: waiting for the guests to arrive. See synonyms at stay¹.
   2. To tarry until another catches up.
2. To remain or be in readiness: lunch waiting on the table.
3. To remain temporarily neglected, unattended to, or postponed: The trip will have to wait.
4. To work as a waiter or waitress.

v.tr.

1. To remain or stay in expectation of; await: wait one's turn.
2. Informal. To delay (a meal or an event); postpone: They waited lunch for us.
3. To be a waiter or waitress at: wait tables.

n.

1. The act of waiting or the time spent waiting.
2. Chiefly British.
   1. One of a group of musicians employed, usually by a city, to play in parades or public ceremonies.
   2. One of a group of musicians or carolers who perform in the streets at Christmastime.

phrasal verbs:

wait on or upon

1. To serve the needs of; be in attendance on.
2. To make a formal call on; visit.
3. To follow as a result; depend on.
4. To await: They're waiting on my decision.

wait out

1. To delay until the termination of: wait out a war; waited out the miniskirt craze.

wait up

1. To postpone going to bed in anticipation of something or someone.
2. Informal. To stop or pause so that another can catch up: Let's wait up for the stragglers.

[Middle English waiten, from Old North French waitier, to watch, of Germanic origin.]

also wait on

verb

1. To look forward to confidently. anticipate, await, bargain for (or on), count on, depend on (or upon), expect, look for. Informal figure on. See surprise/expect.
2. To continue to be in a place: abide, bide, linger, remain, stay¹, tarry. Informal stick around. Idioms: stay put. See continue/stop/pause.
3. To stop temporarily and remain, as if reluctant to leave: abide, bide, linger, pause, stay¹, tarry. See continue/stop/pause.
4. To put off until a later time: adjourn, defer¹, delay, hold off, hold up, postpone, remit, shelve, stay¹, suspend, table, waive. Idioms: put on ice. See do/not do.

phrasal verb - wait on (or upon)

1. To work and care for: attend, do for, minister to, serve. See care for/neglect.
2. To place food before (someone): serve. See ingestion.

noun

An act or the time of waiting: waiting. See continue/stop/pause.

Idioms beginning with wait:
waiting in the wings
waiting game
wait and see
wait at table
wait for the other shoe to drop
wait on hand and foot
wait out

See also can't wait; hurry up and wait; in waiting; lie in wait; play a waiting game.

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n

Definition: pause, delay
Antonyms: act, continuation, doing

v

Definition: pause, rest
Antonyms: carry out, do, forge, forward, go, go ahead

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A town or household watchman, who used a horn or a shawm; also the shawm itself (sometimes called ‘wayte-pipe’) or its player. The term came to apply to a civic minstrel (equivalent to the German Stadtpfeifer; town waits, who at first often played three shawms and a slide trumpet or sackbut, were widely employed by the late 15th century, mainly to attend on ceremonial occasions though they were also licensed to provide music in the streets at night. During the 16th century their talents became more diverse and they played a variety of instruments. Minstrelsy of this kind gradually died out in the 18th century. The term is also used for Christmas singers, after the civic minstrels who sang and played Christmas songs seasonally in the streets. See Minstrels; Guilds; and Stadtpfeifer.

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Originally bands of musicians employed by city corporations such as Norwich, York, Chester, and Leicester, to parade the streets at night playing music to soothe and reassure the inhabitants, and were thus allied to the Watch who also policed the streets in medieval towns. The waits also played at civic ceremonial occasions and offered their musical services to whoever needed them and were willing to pay. As city employees they were provided with a livery and badge of office and, at least in earlier periods, were granted a near-monopoly on music-making within the city. The earliest references are to the 13th century at York (1272) and Norwich (1288), and they lasted in many places well into the 19th century; at Leicester they were only abolished by the 1836 Reform Act. Even then they did not disappear completely in many places, as each year at Christmas they were given a licence to play during the festive season, collecting money at houses that they had serenaded on Boxing Day, which explains why many writers after the 1830s define the waits as specifically Christmas visiting musicians. In most cases they played wind instruments, hautboys, clarinets, bassoons, and so on, but there are also mentions of violins and other stringed instruments, and it is clear that the Waits could be accomplished and well-known musicians in their own right; but there are also reports of drunkenness and disorderly conduct.

Bibliography
The full bibliography list is available here.

• Jonathan E. O. Wilshere, Leicester Towne Waytes (1970)
• Chambers, 1878: ii. 742-4

IN BRIEF: To remain inactive in one place while expecting something.

The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won't wait while you do the work. — Patricia Clafford.

Tutor's tip: Another word that sounds like "wait" which means to be in a state of expectation, is "weight" which means heaviness.

Waiting can be a straightforward representation of some situation we are waiting for in our waking life. It also might be an allusion to an idiom, such as "waiting in the wings," "wait and see," or "waiting for the other shoe to drop."

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Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - vente, se tiden an
v. tr. - vente, varte op, vente på, afvente, se tiden an
n. - ventetid, venten, pause, mellemakt

idioms:

• can hardly wait    kan næsten ikke vente
• wait about    vente på
• wait and see    vent og se
• wait around    vente i nærheden
• wait at table    servere, arbejde som tjener
• Wait for it    vent på det
• wait on    opvarte, vente på, betjene, servere for
• wait state    afventende tilstand
• wait up    vent et øjeblik, sidde oppe og vente
• wait upon    vente på
• What are you waiting for?    hvad venter du på?
• You wait    Vent bare

Nederlands (Dutch)
(af/op)wachten, verbeiden, afwachting, verwachting, wachten, wachttijd

Français (French)
v. intr. - attendre, servir, être serveur
v. tr. - attendre
n. - attente

idioms:

• can hardly wait    mourir d'impatience de (faire)
• wait about    (GB) attendre
• wait and see    voir venir, attends (voir), attendre voir
• wait around    (GB) attendre
• wait at table    servir à table, faire le service
• wait for it    attendez (excl), devinez quoi (excl)
• Wait for it    tiens-toi bien !, (Mil) pas encore (excl)
• wait on    (GB, dial) attendre, servir, venir présenter ses respects à (sout)
• wait on table    être serveur
• wait out    attendre la fin de
• wait state    (Comput) état d'attente
• wait up    veiller, (US) attends (excl)
• wait upon    (GB, dial) attendre, servir, venir présenter ses respects à
• What are you waiting for?    qu'est-ce que tu attends?
• you wait    tu vas voir ce que tu vas voir (excl), tu ne perds rien pour attendre (excl)
• You wait    attends voir!

Deutsch (German)
v. - warten, aufwarten, bedienen
n. - Warten, Wartezeit, Hinterhalt, Weihnachtssänger, Stadtmusikanten

idioms:

• can hardly wait    kann es kaum erwarten
• wait about    herumstehen
• wait and see    abwarten (und Tee trinken), auf sich zukommen lassen
• wait around    herumstehen
• wait at table    servieren, aufwarten
• wait for it    auf etw. (+Akk) warten, warte mal!
• Wait for it    "warte den richtigen Augenblick ab", "jetzt kommt's"
• wait on    bedienen
• wait on table    bedienen
• wait out    warten, bis ein Sturm usw. vorüber od. vorbei ist
• wait state    Waitstate, Wartezeit
• wait up    aufbleiben
• wait upon    bedienen
• What are you waiting for?    "Worauf wartest du?"
• you wait    warte mal ab!, warte nur!
• You wait    Warte mal ab!, Warte nur!

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - περιμένω, αναμένω, σερβίρω, υπηρετώ ως σερβιτόρος ή τραπεζοκόμος
n. - αναμονή, στάση, ενέδρα, καρτέρι

idioms:

• can hardly wait    ανυπομονώ, αδημονώ
• wait about    ξεροσταλιάζω περιμένοντας
• wait and see    περίμενε και θα δεις!
• wait around    ξεροσταλιάζω περιμένοντας
• wait at table    κάνω το σερβιτόρο
• Wait for it    Μη βιάζεσαι, δες τι έγινε
• wait on    υπηρετώ, εξυπηρετώ, σερβίρω
• wait state    (Η/Υ) κατάσταση αναμονής
• wait up    (ξαγρυπνώ και) περιμένω, (ΗΠΑ) στέκομαι να με προλάβει κάποιος
• wait upon    υπηρετώ, εξυπηρετώ, σερβίρω
• What are you waiting for?    Τι περιμένεις;
• You wait    Περίμενε και θα δεις!

Italiano (Italian)
aspettare, attesa

idioms:

• "Wait for it"    "Aspetta il momento buono"
• "What are you waiting for?"    "Che cosa aspetti?"
• can hardly wait    non veder l'ora
• Wait a minute/ moment/second!    Aspetta un minuto/momento/secondo (attimo)!
• wait and see    aspetta e vedrai
• wait around/about    aspettare
• wait at table    servire a tavola
• wait on/upon    servire
• wait up    restare alzati
• You wait!    Guarda bene!

Português (Portuguese)
v. - esperar
n. - espera (f), intervalo (m), cilada (f)

idioms:

• "Wait for it"    esperar
• "What are you waiting for?"    o que está esperando?
• can hardly wait    não poder mais esperar
• Wait a minute/moment/second!    espere um minuto/momento/segundo!
• wait and see    espere e veja
• wait around/about    esperar
• wait at table    servir à mesa
• wait on/upon    visitar de forma com respeito
• wait up    ficar acordado
• You wait!    espere!

Русский (Russian)
ждать, ожидать, откладывать, обслуживать за столом, сопутствовать, сопровождать, ожидание, антракт, засада

idioms:

• "Wait for it"    "погодите", "подожди, сейчас будет самое интересное"
• "What are you waiting for?"    Чего вы ждете
• can hardly wait    гореть от нетерпения
• Wait a minute/ moment/second!    минуточку!, позвольте (в порядке возражения)
• wait and see    поживем, увидим
• wait around/about    находиться в каком-л. месте в ожидании чего-л.
• wait at table    обслуживать за столом
• wait on/upon    прислуживать, обслуживать, ухаживать
• wait up    не ложиться спать, ожидая кого-л.
• You wait!    Погодите!

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - esperar, aguardar, estar esperando, estar a la expectativa
v. tr. - esperar, aguardar, atender, servir, demorar (la comida), atender (a una mesa el camarero)
n. - espera, demora, pausa

idioms:

• can hardly wait    estar ansioso por
• wait about    esperar, pasarse el tiempo esperando
• wait and see    ¡espera a ver qué pasa!, dejar que las cosas sigan su curso, espera y verás
• wait around    esperar, pasarse el tiempo esperando
• wait at table    atender, servir a la mesa
• wait for it    aguarda a que dé la orden, detente, empiezas cuando te lo diga
• Wait for it    todavía falta la parte más interesante o divertida, espera que te cuente, ahora vas a ver
• wait on    atender a, servir a, derivarse de, presentar sus respetos a, seguir de cerca
• wait on table    atender, servir a la mesa, trabajar de camarero
• wait out    esperar (mientras dure) hasta que termine
• wait state    estado de espera
• wait up    esperar a alguien levantado
• wait upon    atender a, servir a, derivarse de, presentar sus respetos a, seguir de cerca
• What are you waiting for?    ¡qué esperas!, ¡qué estás esperando!
• you wait    ¡ya vas a ver!, aguarde
• You wait    ¡ya vas a ver!, Ud. espere

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - vänta, invänta, passa upp
n. - väntan, paus, bakhåll

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
等, 耽搁, 等候, 延缓, 期待, 等待, 等待时间

idioms:

• can hardly wait    等不及
• wait about    在来处等待着, 空等, 呆呆地等
• wait and see    等着瞧
• wait around    呆呆地等, 空等
• wait at table    伺候进餐
• Wait for it    等着吧, 等适当时机到来再说
• wait on    服侍, 招待, 拜访, 焦急地等待
• wait state    等候状态
• wait up    不睡觉地守侯, 停下来等候
• wait upon    侍候
• What are you waiting for?    你在等什么
• You wait    等着瞧, 等着吧

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 等, 耽擱, 等候
v. tr. - 等候, 延緩, 期待
n. - 等待, 等待時間

idioms:

• can hardly wait    等不及
• wait about    在來處等待著, 空等, 呆呆地等
• wait and see    等著瞧
• wait around    呆呆地等, 空等
• wait at table    伺候進餐
• Wait for it    等著吧, 等適當時機到來再說
• wait on    服侍, 招待, 拜訪, 焦急地等待
• wait state    等候狀態
• wait up    不睡覺地守侯, 停下來等候
• wait upon    侍候
• What are you waiting for?    你在等什麼
• You wait    等著瞧, 等著吧

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 기다리다, (물건이) 준비되어 있다, 그대로 내버려 두다
v. tr. - (기회 등을) 기다리다, (식사 따위를) 늦추다, 식사 시중을 들다
n. - 대기, 성탄절 날 밤에 찬송가를 부르며 이 집 저 집 돌아다니는 찬양대, (컴퓨터) 기다림

idioms:

• wait about    서성거리며 초조하게 기다리다
• wait around    서성거리며 초조하게 기다리다
• wait on    ~을 모시다, 문안 드리다, (결과로서) ~에 수반되다
• wait up    자지 않고 기다리다, 멈춰서 기다리다
• wait upon    ~을 받들다, 문안 드리다, (결과로서) ~에 수반되다
• What are you waiting for%?    무얼 기다리고 있니%?

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 待つ, 待ち受ける, そのままにされる, 用意されている, 遅らせる, 給仕する
n. - 待つこと, 待ち時間

idioms:

• Wait a minute!    ちょっと待って!
• Wait a minute/ moment/second!    ちょっと待って!
• wait and see    まあ見てろ
• wait around/about    ぶらぶらして待つ
• wait at table    給仕する
• Wait for it    まあ待て
• wait on/upon    給仕する, 仕える, 訪問する, 伴う
• wait up    寝ないで待つ, 立ち止まって待つ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) ينتظر, يخدم بوصفه نادلا, يؤجل, يصطبر (الاسم) انتظار, مدة الانتظار, محطه, عضو في فرقه المغنين تطوف في الشوارع في عيد الميلاد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮חיכה, שירת כמלצר, החנה, ביקר ביקור-נימוסין‬
v. tr. - ‮המתין, דחה‬
n. - ‮מארב, ציפייה, המתנה‬

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Zero Wait State