wait 1 of 2

as in to stay
to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something please wait here, and we'll seat you shortly

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wait

2 of 2

noun

as in delay
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business there was a long wait for the manager to come and help us

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wait
Verb
Estimated appointment wait times at U.S. embassies worldwide currently range from days to months—a backlog of appointments or more intensive vetting could extend that. Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 May 2025 Back in Lisbon, Magellan meets and marries Beatriz (Angela Azevedo), though she’s largely left to wait and wilt as her husband remains faithful above all to the waves. Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 May 2025
Noun
Interact with characters By far, Toothless is the most popular character to meet How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, but the wait can get really long because the interactions are unhurried. Eve Chen, USA Today, 24 May 2025 The enthusiasm of the Belasco crowd was none the worse for the wait. Chris Willman, Variety, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for wait
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wait
Verb
  • Americans are living longer, staying healthier, and working in less physically demanding jobs.
    Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 23 May 2025
  • First and foremost this season, Herbert has to stay healthy.
    Daniel Popper, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • Nola’s delay Two days ago, Aaron Nola tested his sprained right ankle for the first time since going on the injured list May 16.
    Matt Gelb, New York Times, 26 May 2025
  • The game was supposed to start at 5 p.m., but heavy rains moved into the area just before gametime, drenching the fields and causing the delay.
    Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 May 2025
Verb
  • The pitch lingered in the air before diving under Jackson Merrill’s whiffing bat for an inning-ending strikeout.
    Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • Six-time All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard missed the start of the regular season with a lingering knee injury.
    Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
Verb
  • Teves was seen in handcuffs being escorted by East Timor police officers to an awaiting Philippine air force plane.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 May 2025
  • Chris Pratt also appears, reprising his role as James Reece ahead of The Terminal List Season 2, which is currently in production and awaiting a release date of its own.
    Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • The incident remains under investigated by Meriden Police detectives and anyone with information should contact Det.
    Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2025
  • What remain enduringly relevant are the book’s insights into the nature of design innovation, which Jencks described as analogous to biological evolution, a constant flow of emergent, divergent, and convergent streams.
    Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wait.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wait. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

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