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[weyt] /weɪt/
verb (used without object)
to wait for the bus to arrive.
(of things) to be available or in readiness:
A letter is waiting for you.
to remain neglected for a time:
a matter that can wait.
to postpone or delay something or to be postponed or delayed:
We waited a week and then bought the house. Your vacation will have to wait until next month.
to look forward to eagerly:
I'm just waiting for the day somebody knocks him down.
verb (used with object)
to continue as one is in expectation of; await:
to wait one's turn at a telephone booth.
to postpone or delay in expectation:
Don't wait supper for me.
Archaic. (of things) to be in readiness for; be reserved for; await:
Glory waits thee.
Archaic. to attend upon or escort, especially as a sign of respect.
an act or instance of waiting or awaiting; delay; halt:
a wait at the border.
a period or interval of waiting:
There will be a long wait between trains.
  1. the time between two acts, scenes, or the like.
  2. stage wait.
  1. waits, (formerly) a band of musicians employed by a city or town to play music in parades, for official functions, etc.
  2. a street musician, especially a singer.
  3. one of a band of carolers.
  4. a piece sung by carolers, especially a Christmas carol.
Obsolete. a watchman.
Verb phrases
wait on,
  1. to perform the duties of an attendant or servant for.
  2. to supply the wants of a person, as serving a meal or serving a customer in a store.
  3. to call upon or visit (a person, especially a superior):
    to wait on Her Majesty at the palace.
  4. Falconry. (of a hawk) to soar over ground until prey appears.
  5. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. to wait for (a person); await.
  6. Also, wait upon. to await (an event).
wait up,
  1. to postpone going to bed to await someone's arrival.
  2. Informal. to halt and wait for another to join one, as in running or walking:
    Wait up, I can't walk so fast.
lie in wait, to wait in ambush:
The army lay in wait in the forest.
wait table. table (def 26).
early Middle English
1150-1200; (v.) early Middle English waiten < Anglo-French waitier; Old French guaitier < Germanic; cognate with Old High German wahtēn to watch, derivative of wahta a watch (see wake1); (noun) late Middle English < AF derivative of waitier
Can be confused
wait, weight.
1. await, linger, abide, delay. Wait, tarry imply pausing to linger and thereby putting off further activity until later. Wait usually implies staying for a limited time and for a definite purpose, that is, for something expected: to wait for a train. Tarry is a somewhat archaic word for wait, but it suggests lingering, perhaps aimlessly delaying, or pausing (briefly) in a journey: to tarry on the way home; to tarry overnight at an inn.
Usage note
15e, f. Sometimes considered objectionable in standard usage, the idiom wait on meaning “to wait for, to await (a person)” is largely confined to speech or written representations of speech. It is most common in the Midland and Southern United States: Let's not wait on Rachel, she's always late. Wait on or upon (an event) does not have a regional pattern and occurs in a wide variety of contexts: We will wait on (or upon) his answer and make our decision then. The completion of the merger waits upon news of a drop in interest rates. Unabridged
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British Dictionary definitions for wait up

wait up

verb (intransitive, adverb)
to delay going to bed in order to await some event
(informal, mainly US & Canadian) to halt and pause in order that another person may catch up


when intr, often foll by for, until, or to. to stay in one place or remain inactive in expectation (of something); hold oneself in readiness (for something)
to delay temporarily or be temporarily delayed: that work can wait
when intr, usually foll by for. (of things) to be in store (for a person): success waits for you in your new job
(intransitive) to act as a waiter or waitress
the act or an instance of waiting
a period of waiting
(pl) (rare) a band of musicians who go around the streets, esp at Christmas, singing and playing carols
an interlude or interval between two acts or scenes in a play, etc
lie in wait, to prepare an ambush (for someone)
See also wait on, wait up
Word Origin
C12: from Old French waitier; related to Old High German wahtēn to wake1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for wait up







Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang definitions & phrases for wait up



Excellent; wonderful; great (1954+ Black musicians)

Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Idioms and Phrases with wait up

wait up

Postpone going to bed in anticipation of someone or something, as in My parents always wait up until I get home, no matter how late it is. [ Mid-1800s ]
Stop or pause so that another can catch up, as in Let's wait up for the stragglers, or Don't walk so fast; wait up for me.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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Encyclopedia Article for wait up


an English town watchman or public musician who sounded the hours of the night. In the later Middle Ages the waits were night watchmen, who sounded horns or even played tunes to mark the hours. In the 15th and 16th centuries waits developed into bands of itinerant musicians who paraded the streets at night at Christmas time. From the early 16th century, London and all the chief boroughs had their corporation waits.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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