wait
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Old Northern French waitier, a variant of Old French guatier (modern guetter ‘watch for’), from Germanic.
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /weɪt/
- Audio (US)help, file
- Rhymes: -eɪt
[edit] Homophones
[edit] Verb
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Infinitive |
Third person singular |
Simple past |
Past participle |
Present participle |
to wait (third-person singular simple present waits, present participle waiting, simple past and past participle waited)
- (transitive) to delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to await.
- You'll just have to wait your turn.
- (intransitive) To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
- Wait here until your car arrives.
- (intransitive) To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.
- She used to wait down at the Dew Drop Inn.
[edit] Usage notes
- In sense 1, this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Translations
transitive: delay until — see await
delay until some event
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to serve customers
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
wait (plural waits)
- A delay.
- I had a very long wait at the airport security check.
