| 单词 | wait |
| 释义 | wait (weɪt ) Word forms: waits , waiting , waited 1. verb [no passive] A1 When you wait for something or someone, you spend some time doing very little, because you cannot act until that thing happens or that person arrives. I walk to a street corner and wait for the school bus. [VERB + for] Stop waiting for things to happen. Make them happen. [VERB + for] I waited to see how she responded. [VERB to-infinitive] Angus got out of the car to wait. [VERB] We will have to wait a week or so before we know whether the operation is a success. [VERB noun] He told waiting journalists that he did not expect a referendum to be held for several months. [VERB-ing] Synonyms: stay, remain, stop, pause waiting uncountable noun B2 The waiting became almost unbearable. 2. countable noun [usually singular] B2 A wait is a period of time in which you do very little, before something happens or before you can do something. ...the four-hour wait for the organizers to declare the result. [+ for] Synonyms: delay, gap, pause, interval 3. verb [usually cont] B1+ If something is waiting for you, it is ready for you to use, have, or do. There'll be a car waiting for you. [VERB + for] When we came home we had a meal waiting for us. [+ for] Ships with unfurled sails wait to take them aboard. [VERB to-infinitive] Three-hundred railway wagons were waiting to be unloaded. [VERB to-infinitive] He had a taxi waiting to take him to the train. [have n V-ing to-inf] The President had his plane waiting, 20 minutes' drive away. [have n V-ing] 4. verb [no cont] If you say that something can wait, you mean that it is not important or urgent and so you will deal with it or do it later. I want to talk to you, but it can wait. [VERB] Any changes will have to wait until sponsors can be found. [VERB] Synonyms: be postponed, be suspended, be delayed, be put off 5. verb You can use wait when you are trying to make someone feel excited, or to encourage or threaten them. If you think this all sounds very exciting, just wait until you read the book. [V + until] As soon as you get some food inside you, you'll feel more cheerful. Just you wait. [VERB] 6. verb B1 Wait is used in expressions such as wait a minute, wait a second, and wait a moment to interrupt someone when they are speaking, for example because you object to what they are saying or because you want them to repeat something. [spoken] 'Wait a minute!' he broke in. 'This is not giving her a fair hearing!' [VERB noun] 7. verb If an employee waits on you, for example in a restaurant or hotel, they take orders from you and bring you what you want. There were plenty of servants to wait on her. [VERB + on] Each student is expected to wait at table for one week each semester. [VERB + at] 8. can't wait/can hardly wait phrase B1 If you say that you can't wait to do something or can hardly wait to do it, you are emphasizing that you are very excited about it and eager to do it. [spoken, emphasis] We can't wait to get started. It's gonna be great. I can hardly wait. I could hardly wait to get out of there. 9. wait for it convention You say ' wait for it' to stop someone from doing something too soon because you have not yet given them the command to do it. [British] Arms bend. Arms upward. Wait for it. Stretch. 10. wait for it phrase [PHR with group] You can use 'wait for it' to indicate that you are about to say something that is amusing or surprising. [British, informal] They will obtain genuine 17th-century air from the inside of, wait for it, an occupied lead coffin. 11. wait and see phrase If you tell someone to wait and see, you tell them that they must be patient or that they must not worry about what is going to happen in the future because they have no control over it. We'll have to wait and see what happens. ...a wait-and-see attitude. 12. what are you waiting for phrase B2 If you say to someone 'What are you waiting for?' you are telling them to hurry up and do something. [spoken] Well, what are you waiting for? Do I have to ask you for a kiss? 13. an accident waiting to happen phrase [NOUN inflects, verb-link PHRASE] B2 If you describe something or someone as an accident waiting to happen, you mean that they are likely to be a cause of danger in the future, for example because they are in poor condition or behave in an unpredictable way. A lot of the city's buildings are accidents waiting to happen. 14. ready and waiting phrase [verb-link PHRASE] If you want to emphasize that a person is properly prepared for something, or that something can now be used, you can say that they are ready and waiting. [emphasis] She liked to be ready and waiting at home when Bernard returned from work. The chalet was kept ready and waiting for them at all times. Phrasal verbs: wait around regional note: in BRIT, also use wait about phrasal verb B2 If you wait around or wait about, you stay in the same place, usually doing very little, because you cannot act before something happens or before someone arrives. The attacker may have been waiting around for an opportunity to strike. [VERB PARTICLE + for] I waited around to speak to the doctor. [VERB PARTICLE to-infinitive] ...the ghastly tedium of waiting about at the airport. [VERB PARTICLE] wait in phrasal verb B2 If you wait in, you deliberately stay at home and do not go out, for example because someone is coming to see you. [mainly British] If I'd waited in for you I could have waited all day. [VERB PARTICLE + for] There's no need to wait in all day. [VERB PARTICLE] wait on phrasal verb If you are waiting on something, you are waiting for it to happen, for example before you do or decide anything. [US] Since then I've been waiting on events. [VERB PARTICLE noun] We cannot wait on the government to make changes at its own pace. [VERB PARTICLE noun] wait up 1. phrasal verb If you wait up, you deliberately do not go to bed, especially because you are expecting someone to return home late at night. I hope he doesn't expect you to wait up for him. [VERB PARTICLE + for] Don't wait up. [VERB PARTICLE] 2. phrasal verb [usually imper] If you ask someone to wait up, you are asking them to go more slowly or to stop and wait for you. [US, informal] I was running down the hill shouting, 'Michael, Michael, man, wait up.' [VERB PARTICLE] Quotations: Don't count your chickens before they are hatched Don't cross the bridge till you come to it Idioms: wait in the wings to wait for an opportunity to take action, especially to take over another person's job or position He was one of a number of young, up and coming American players who were waiting in the wings for the next Major Championship. Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers Collocations: just wait But you just wait for ministers to nibble away at that budget if the next few years are dry. Times, Sunday Times But you cannot just wait for things to get better. The Sun You either deal with the weather or just wait for a year when it's nice. The Sun Just wait till he hears the truth tomorrow. Christianity Today You can be as liberal as you like, just wait until the gipsies move next door. The Sun Translations: Chinese: 等待, 等待 Japanese: 待つ, 待つ |
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