# hurry up and wait

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/hurry-up-and-wait
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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.

## Examples

- 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.

## Origin

From hurry up + wait. The phrase is a compound of the imperatives for haste and for patience.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.