# wait

/ˈweɪt/ (US) · /wˈeɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/wait
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. to stay in place

verb · CEFR A1

to stay in one place or not do something until a specific time or event happens.

For teachers: to remain stationary or delay action until an expected event occurs or a specific time is reached.

- We had to wait for the bus for twenty minutes in the rain.
- The passengers were advised to wait in the terminal until the ground crew had finished de-icing the aircraft wings.

Usage: Usually followed by 'for' when an object is present.

### 2. to serve food

verb · CEFR B1 · American English

to work as a server in a restaurant by bringing food and drinks to customers.

For teachers: to serve customers in a catering establishment, typically used in the phrase 'wait tables'.

- He worked hard waiting tables at a busy diner to pay for college.
- After years of waiting tables in high-end bistros, she decided to open her own boutique catering business.

Usage: Commonly used in the transitive construction 'wait tables'.

### 3. a period of time

noun · CEFR A2

the amount of time you spend waiting for something to happen.

For teachers: the duration of a delay or the period spent waiting.

- There was a long wait at the doctor's office this morning.
- The three-hour wait at the border was exacerbated by a technical failure in the passport scanning system.

### 4. computing delay

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a short pause when a computer waits for data or a command.

For teachers: a period during which a processor or system is suspended while waiting for an external event or resource.

- The software entered a wait state while the hard drive finished saving the file.
- Excessive wait states can significantly degrade system performance during high-intensity data processing tasks.

Usage: Often appears in technical documentation as 'wait state'.

### 5. stop for a moment

interjection · CEFR A2 · Informal

something you say to make someone stop talking or moving so you can think or ask a question.

For teachers: used to request a brief cessation of activity or speech, often to allow for clarification or a change of mind.

- Wait, I think I left my keys inside the house.
- Wait, before you finalize the contract, we need to verify the delivery dates one last time.

## Examples

- 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.

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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.