wait

postpone; linger; remain; stay: Wait with me for the bus.
Not to be confused with:weight – measurement of heaviness or mass: I was dismayed by how much weight I had gained.

wait

W0010000 (wāt)v. wait·ed, wait·ing, waits v.intr.1. a. To remain or rest in expectation: waiting for the guests to arrive. See Synonyms at stay¹.b. To stay in one place until another catches up: waited at the corner for everyone else in the group.2. To remain or be in readiness: Lunch is waiting at the counter.3. To remain temporarily neglected, unattended to, or postponed: The trip will have to wait.4. To work as a waiter or waitress.v.tr.1. To remain or stay in expectation of; await: wait one's turn.2. Informal To delay (a meal or an event); postpone: They waited lunch for us.3. To be a waiter or waitress at: wait tables.n.1. The act of waiting or the time spent waiting.2. Chiefly British a. One of a group of musicians employed, usually by a city, to play in parades or public ceremonies.b. One of a group of musicians or carolers who perform in the streets at Christmastime.Phrasal Verbs: wait on (or upon)1. To serve the needs of; be in attendance on.2. To make a formal call on; visit.3. To follow as a result; depend on.4. To await: They're waiting on my decision. wait out To delay until the termination of: wait out a war; waited out the miniskirt craze. wait up1. To postpone going to bed in anticipation of something or someone.2. Informal To stop or pause so that another can catch up: Let's wait up for the stragglers.

[Middle English waiten, from Old North French waitier, to watch, of Germanic origin; see weg- in Indo-European roots.]

wait

(weɪt) vb1. (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)2. to delay temporarily or be temporarily delayed: that work can wait. 3. (when: intr, usually foll by for) (of things) to be in store (for a person): success waits for you in your new job. 4. (Commerce) (intr) to act as a waiter or waitressn5. the act or an instance of waiting6. a period of waiting7. (Music, other) (plural) rare a band of musicians who go around the streets, esp at Christmas, singing and playing carols8. (Theatre) an interlude or interval between two acts or scenes in a play, etc9. lie in wait to prepare an ambush (for someone)[C12: from Old French waitier; related to Old High German wahtēn to wake¹]

wait

(weɪt)

v.i. 1. to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens (often fol. by for or until): to wait for the bus. 2. (of things) to be available or in readiness: A letter is waiting for you. 3. to remain neglected for a time: a matter that can wait. 4. to postpone or delay something or to be postponed or delayed: Your vacation will have to wait. 5. to look forward to eagerly: to wait for a chance to get even. 6. to work or serve as a waiter. v.t. 7. to await: You'll have to wait your turn. 8. to postpone or delay: Don't wait supper for me. 9. to serve as waiter for: to wait tables. 10. wait on, a. to serve food or drink to. b. to attend to the purchasing needs of (a customer) in a store. c. to be an attendant or servant for. d. to call upon or visit (a person, esp. a superior). e. to wait for (a person); await. f. Also, wait upon. to await (an event). 11. wait out, to postpone action until the end of: to wait out a storm. 12. wait up, a. to postpone going to bed in anticipation of an expected person or event. b. Informal. to halt one's walking, running, etc., to allow someone to overtake one. n. 13. an act or instance of waiting; delay. 14. a period or interval of waiting. 15. Brit. a. waits, (formerly) a band of musicians employed by a city or town to play music in parades, for official functions, etc. b. a street musician, esp. a singer. c. one of a band of carolers. d. a piece sung by carolers, esp. a Christmas carol. Idioms: lie in wait, to wait in ambush. [1150–1200; early Middle English < Anglo-French waitier; Old French guaitier < Germanic; compare Old High German wahtēn to watch, derivative of wahta a watch (see wake¹)] usage: Sometimes considered objectionable in standard usage, the verb phrase wait on meaning “to wait for (a person)” is largely confined to speech. It is most common in the Midland and Southern U.S.: 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 before making our decision.

wait

1. 'wait'

You use the verb wait to say that someone remains in the same place, or avoids doing something, until something happens or someone arrives.

Please wait here until he is ready to see you.She had been waiting to buy some stamps.2. 'wait for'

You can say that someone waits for something or someone.

I stayed at home, waiting for her call.If he's late, I'll wait for him.

You can also say that someone waits for a person or thing to do something.

She waited for me to say something.I waited for Dad to come home.

Be Careful!
Wait is never a transitive verb. Don't say, for example, 'I was waiting her call'. You must use wait for.

See await

wait

Past participle: waited
Gerund: waiting

Imperative
wait
wait

Present
I wait
you wait
he/she/it waits
we wait
you wait
they wait

Preterite
I waited
you waited
he/she/it waited
we waited
you waited
they waited

Present Continuous
I am waiting
you are waiting
he/she/it is waiting
we are waiting
you are waiting
they are waiting

Present Perfect
I have waited
you have waited
he/she/it has waited
we have waited
you have waited
they have waited

Past Continuous
I was waiting
you were waiting
he/she/it was waiting
we were waiting
you were waiting
they were waiting

Past Perfect
I had waited
you had waited
he/she/it had waited
we had waited
you had waited
they had waited

Future
I will wait
you will wait
he/she/it will wait
we will wait
you will wait
they will wait

Future Perfect
I will have waited
you will have waited
he/she/it will have waited
we will have waited
you will have waited
they will have waited

Future Continuous
I will be waiting
you will be waiting
he/she/it will be waiting
we will be waiting
you will be waiting
they will be waiting

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been waiting
you have been waiting
he/she/it has been waiting
we have been waiting
you have been waiting
they have been waiting

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been waiting
you will have been waiting
he/she/it will have been waiting
we will have been waiting
you will have been waiting
they will have been waiting

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been waiting
you had been waiting
he/she/it had been waiting
we had been waiting
you had been waiting
they had been waiting

Conditional
I would wait
you would wait
he/she/it would wait
we would wait
you would wait
they would wait

Past Conditional
I would have waited
you would have waited
he/she/it would have waited
we would have waited
you would have waited
they would have waited

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	wait - time during which some action is awaited; "instant replay caused too long a delay"; "he ordered a hold in the action"delay, postponement, time lag, holdpause, suspension, intermission, interruption, break - a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of somethingextension - a mutually agreed delay in the date set for the completion of a job or payment of a debt; "they applied for an extension of the loan"moratorium - a legally authorized postponement before some obligation must be dischargedretardation - the extent to which something is delayed or held back
	2.	wait - the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something); "the wait was an ordeal for him"waitinginactivity - being inactive; being less active
Verb	1.	wait - stay in one place and anticipate or expect something; "I had to wait on line for an hour to get the tickets"ambuscade, ambush, bushwhack, lie in wait, scupper, waylay, lurk - wait in hiding to attackcool one's heels, kick one's heels - wait or pass the time aimlessly or futilely; be kept waiting; "She kicked her heels for hours at the gate of the Embassy"stick about, stick around, stand by - be available or ready for a certain function or service
	2.	wait - wait before acting; "the scientists held off announcing their results until they repeated the experiment"hold off, hold backact, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel"hold out - wait uncompromisingly for something desirable; "He held out for the dessert and did not touch the cheeses"delay - act later than planned, scheduled, or required; "Don't delay your application to graduate school or else it won't be considered"
	3.	wait - look forward to the probable occurrence of; "We were expecting a visit from our relatives"; "She is looking to a promotion"; "he is waiting to be drafted"await, expect, lookexpect - look forward to the birth of a child; "She is expecting in March"anticipate, expect - regard something as probable or likely; "The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow"look forward - expect or hope for; "I look to hear from you soon"look to - turn one's interests or expectations towards; "look to the future"; "this method looks to significant wavings"hold the line, hang on, hold on - hold the phone line open; "Please hang on while I get your folder"look for, look to, anticipate - be excited or anxious about
	4.	wait - serve as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant; "I'm waiting on tables at Maxim's"waitresswork - exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor"

wait

verb1. stay, remain, stop, pause, rest, delay, linger, hover, hang around (informal), dally, loiter, tarry, w8 (S.M.S.) I waited at the corner for the lights to go green.
stay go, leave, quit, take off (informal), go away, set off, depart, move off2. stand by, delay, hold on (informal), hold back, wait in the wings, mark time, hang fire, bide your time, kick your heels, cool your heels, w8 (S.M.S.) Let's wait and see what happens.3. be postponed, be suspended, be delayed, be put off, be put back, be deferred, be put on hold (informal), be shelved, be tabled, be held over, be put on ice (informal), be put on the back burner (informal), w8 (S.M.S.) I want to talk to you but it can wait.noun1. delay, gap, pause, interval, stay, rest, halt, hold-up, lull, stoppage, hindrance, hiatus, entr'acte, w8 (S.M.S.) After a long wait, someone finally picked up the phone.wait around hang around, linger, loiter, hover around, mark time, skulk around, loaf around I waited around to speak to the doctor.wait for or on something or someone await, expect, look forward to, hope for, anticipate, look for I'm still waiting for a reply from him.wait on or upon someone serve, tend to, look after, take care of, minister to, attend to, cater to The owner of the restaurant himself waited on us.wait up stay awake, stay up, keep vigil I waited up for you till three in the morning.Proverbs
"Don't count your chickens before they are hatched"
"Don't cross the bridge till you come to it"

wait

verb1. To look forward to confidently.Also used with for:anticipate, await, bargain for (or on), count on, depend on (or upon), expect, look for.Informal: figure on.2. To continue to be in a place:abide, bide, linger, remain, stay, tarry.Informal: stick around.Idiom: stay put.3. To stop temporarily and remain, as if reluctant to leave:abide, bide, linger, pause, stay, tarry.4. Informal. To put off until a later time:adjourn, defer, delay, hold off, hold up, postpone, remit, shelve, stay, suspend, table, waive.Idiom: put on ice.phrasal verb
wait on or upon
1. To work and care for:attend, do for, minister to, serve.2. To place food before (someone):serve.nounAn act or the time of waiting:waiting.

Translations

等待伺候进餐期待盼望等候

wait

(weit) verb1. (with for) to remain or stay (in the same place or without doing anything). Wait (for) two minutes (here) while I go inside; I'm waiting for John (to arrive).等候2. (with for) to expect. I was just waiting for that pile of dishes to fall! 盼望，期待 3. (with on) to serve dishes, drinks etc (at table). This servant will wait on your guests; He waits at table.伺候进餐 noun an act of waiting; a delay. There was a long wait before they could get on the train. 等候，等待 ˈwaiter – feminine ˈwaitress – noun a person who serves people with food etc at table. She is a waitress in a café; Which waiter served you in the restaurant?服务员ˈwaiting-list noun a list of the names of people who are waiting for something. She is on the waiting-list for medical treatment.等候的申请人名单ˈwaiting-room noun a room in which people may wait (eg at a station, doctor's surgery etc). 休息室

wait

→ 等待zhCN

Could you wait here for a few minutes? (US)
Can you wait here for a few minutes? (UK) → 您能在这儿等几分钟吗？
Please wait for me → 请等等我
Can you do it while I wait? → 我在这里等着行吗？

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wait (around) (for someone or something)

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What does it mean when you dream about waiting?

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WAIT

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Synonyms for wait

verb stay

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Antonyms

verb stand by

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verb be postponed

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noun delay

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phrase wait around

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phrase wait for or on something or someone

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phrase wait on or upon someone

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phrase wait up

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Synonyms for wait

verb to look forward to confidently

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verb to continue to be in a place

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verb to stop temporarily and remain, as if reluctant to leave

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verb to put off until a later time

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phrase wait on: to work and care for

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phrase wait on: to place food before (someone)

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noun an act or the time of waiting

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Synonyms for wait

noun time during which some action is awaited

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noun the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

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verb stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

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verb wait before acting

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verb look forward to the probable occurrence of

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verb serve as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant

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