wait
Part of speech: verb
intj
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English waiten, from Anglo-Norman 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.
In some senses, merged or influenced by Middle English waiten, weiten (“to do good to, lie in wait for, to contrive good or harm on, catch, snare”), from Old Norse veita (“to give help to, assist, grant, cause to happen”), from Proto-Germanic *waitijaną (“to show, guide, advise, direct”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see, know”).
Largely overtook native Middle English biden, from Old English bīdan, source of bide.
Inflected forms:
form: waits
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: waiting
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: waited
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: waited
pos: verb
tags: past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: wait
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: wait
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: waited
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: wait
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: waitest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: waited
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: waitedst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: waits
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: waiteth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: waited
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: wait
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: waited
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: wait
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: waited
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: wait
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: waiting
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: waited
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: waight
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: waight
pos: intj
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Wait here until your car arrives.
I’m still waiting for you to pay me back the money I lent you..
They also serve who only stand and wait.
Haste, my dear father; 'tis no time to wait.
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.
The South London tramway replacement will have to wait, possibly five years, because of the slowing down of bus manufacture due to national requirements.
gloss: To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.
pos: verb
tags: US
intransitive
stative
examples: She used to wait in this joint.
gloss: To delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to await. (Now generally superseded by “wait for”.)
pos: verb
tags: archaic
transitive
examples: to wait one’s turn
Awed with these words, in camps they still abide, / And wait with longing looks their promised guide.
The Court had assembled, to wait events, in the huge antechamber known as the Œil de Boeuf.
gloss: To attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: 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.
gloss: To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
gloss: To defer or postpone (especially a meal).
pos: verb
tags: colloquial
obsolete
examples: Montague Thorold, who impatiently watched her wherever she went, came to tell her that his mother waited breakfast for her.
gloss: To watch with malicious intent; to lie in wait
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
gloss: To remain faithful to one’s partner or betrothed during a prolonged period of absence.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: 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
gloss: Tells the other speaker to stop talking, typing etc. for a moment, often to allow clarification.
pos: intj
tags: informal
examples: - And so I went upstairs—
- Wait. Your house has two floors?
Synonyms: await
wait for
serve
tend
postpone
abide
back that train up
bide
bide one's time
expect
hang on
hold on
hold one's horses
hold one's water
hold out
mark time
stand by
stay
twiddle one's thumbs
wait
Antonyms: act
grasp
grasp the nettle
jump at the chance
jump on
go it blind
jump the gun
shoot first and ask questions later
shoot from the hip
Related words: wait for
deferment
procrastinate
Translations: