wait
n. countablen. the amount of time you spend staying in one place or doing nothing until something happens. You use this when talking about how long you have to stay in line or stay on hold.
n. a period of time spent staying in one place or delayed in action until an expected event occurs. Often used with adjectives to describe the duration or quality of the delay.
The wait for the bus is twenty minutes.
After a long wait in the cold, the fans were finally allowed into the stadium for the concert.
The agonizing wait for the test results felt like an eternity, as every minute of silence from the clinic increased her anxiety.
Commonly modified by adjectives like 'long', 'short', or 'brief'; often followed by the preposition 'for'.
- 01
can't wait
To eagerly anticipate; to find it hard to wait for a forthcoming pleasurable event.
- 02
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.
- 03
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.