hurry up and wait
To hurry to complete a task or arrive at a destination by a specified time, only for nothing to happen, due to other requirements that have yet to be satisfied.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“We always hurry up and wait at the airport.”
“The manager told us to finish the report by noon, but now we just hurry up and wait for his approval.”
“Military life is often defined by the frustrating routine of having to hurry up and wait for orders that never seem to arrive on time.”
From hurry up + wait. The phrase is a compound of the imperatives for haste and for patience.
- 01
can't wait
To eagerly anticipate; to find it hard to wait for a forthcoming pleasurable event.
- 02
wait around
To spend an especially lengthy period of time inactively, while expecting the arrival of someone or while anticipating some other event, often impatiently and often without a satisfactory outcome.
- 03
wait for Godot
To wait hopelessly.
- 04
wait for it
Used to draw attention to and build suspense, often ironically, for a remark to come.
- 05
wait for the ball to drop
To wait in expectation of an occurrence.
- 06
wait for the dust to settle
To let a situation calm down, become clear or certain, before taking any action.
- 07
wait for the other shoe to drop
To defer action or decision until another matter is finished or resolved.
- 08
wait in the wings
To be about to become important or central.
Last updated August 10, 2026