Meaning of "wait" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD WAIT

From Old French waitier; related to Old High German wahtēn to wake1.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF WAIT

wait  [weɪt]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WAIT

Wait is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb wait in English.

WHAT DOES WAIT MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Definition of wait in the English dictionary

The first definition of wait in the dictionary is when intr, often foll by for, until, or to to stay in one place or remain inactive in expectation ; hold oneself in readiness. Other definition of wait is to delay temporarily or be temporarily delayed. Wait is also when intr, usually foll by for to be in store.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO WAIT

PRESENT

Present

I wait

you wait

he/she/it waits

we wait

you wait

they wait

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

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

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I waited

you waited

he/she/it waited

we waited

you waited

they 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

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

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will wait

you will wait

he/she/it will wait

we will wait

you will wait

they will wait

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

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 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

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would wait

you would wait

he/she/it would wait

we would wait

you would wait

they would wait

Conditional continuous

I would be waiting

you would be waiting

he/she/it would be waiting

we would be waiting

you would be waiting

they would be waiting

Conditional perfect

I would have wait

you would have wait

he/she/it would have wait

we would have wait

you would have wait

they would have wait

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been waiting

you would have been waiting

he/she/it would have been waiting

we would have been waiting

you would have been waiting

they would have been waiting

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you wait
we let´s wait
you wait

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to wait

Past participle

waited

Present Participle

waiting

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «WAIT»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «wait» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of wait

abide · dally · delay · entr´acte · gap · halt · hang fire · hiatus · hindrance · hold back · hold on · hold-up · hover · interval · linger · loiter · lull · mark time · pause · remain · rest · stand by · stay · stop · stoppage · tarry

TRANSLATION OF WAIT

Find out the translation of wait to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of wait from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «wait» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 等待
• Translator English - Spanish: esperar
• English: wait
• Translator English - Hindi: इंतजार
• Translator English - Arabic: يَنْتَظِرُ
• Translator English - Russian: ждать
• Translator English - Portuguese: esperar
• Translator English - Bengali: অপেক্ষা করুন
• Translator English - French: attendre
• Translator English - Malay: Tunggu
• Translator English - German: warten
• Translator English - Japanese: 待つ
• Translator English - Korean: 기다리다
• Translator English - Javanese: Ngenteni
• Translator English - Vietnamese: chờ đợi
• Translator English - Tamil: காத்திரு
• Translator English - Marathi: प्रतीक्षा करा
• Translator English - Turkish: Bekleyin
• Translator English - Italian: aspettare
• Translator English - Polish: poczekać
• Translator English - Ukrainian: чекати
• Translator English - Romanian: a aștepta
• Translator English - Greek: περιμένω
• Translator English - Afrikaans: wag
• Translator English - Swedish: vänta
• Translator English - Norwegian: vente

10 QUOTES WITH «WAIT»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word wait.

1

Mitch Albom

Whenever you have two characters in a book, whether it's a novel or nonfiction, you run the risk that the reader is going to like one more than the other. They're going to read one chapter and say, 'I can't wait to get back to the other guy.'

2

Trey Anastasio

I am a prince I have it all, and I hear your foot steps on the wall, I wait in silence for your call, and take a shot and watch you fall.

3

Tallulah Bankhead

(On seeing a former lover for the first time in years) I thought I told you to wait in the car.

4

Charles Bass

Why did the Clinton Administration wait from 1995 to 1998 to tighten security and bolster counterintelligence at U.S. weapons labs?

5

Regina Brett

Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

6

Jencarlos Canela

My beautiful son... I can't wait to see his face, hug him, and spend time with him.

7

Giacomo Casanova

The man who has sufficient power over himself to wait until his nature has recovered its even balance is the truly wise man, but such beings are seldom met with.

8

Maurice Chevalier

If you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive. Mountains will not be climbed, races won, or lasting happiness achieved.

9

Anna Chlumsky

Keep in mind that there are computers, that do touch things up. Like when I got a hold of the poster for 'Gold Diggers,' I said: 'Hey, wait a minute! Those aren't my teeth!'

10

Patsy Cline

I'm not gonna ride home in the car. I'll wait for Randy. I think I'll get home quicker.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WAIT»

Discover the use of wait in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to wait and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Wait: The Art and Science of Delay

A renowned financial commentator and consultant explains the mysteries and transformative power of the well-time pause, and how delay can improve all kinds of decision-making

Frank Partnoy, 2012

Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir

We meet the people who most influenced Goodwin’s early life: her mother, who taught her the joy of books but whose debilitating illness left her housebound: and her father, who taught her the joy of baseball and to root for the Dodgers of ...

Doris Kearns Goodwin, 2009

Why We Can't Wait

The book also includes the extraordinary “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which King wrote in April of 1963.

Martin Luther King, Jr., 2011

Nitrate Won't Wait: A History of Film Preservation in the ...

This study looks at the preservation process: newsreel, television, and color preservation; the often controversial issue of colorization; and commercial film archives.

Anthony Slide, 2000

Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story

Twelve-year-old Molly and her ten-year-old brother, Michael, have never liked their seven-year-old stepsister, Heather.

Mary Downing Hahn, 2008

Audrey, Wait!

While trying to score a date with her cute co-worker at the Scooper Dooper, sixteen-year-old Audrey gains unwanted fame and celebrity status when her ex-boyfriend, a rock musician, records a breakup song about her that soars to the top of ...

Robin Benway, 2008

Heaven Can Wait

What would I do without you, Lucy Brown?' he said, and kissed me softly.

Cally Taylor, 2010

Wait Until Spring, Bandini

A powerful, lyrical and touching tale of a turbulent adolescent trying to break out of the suffocating, prison-like confinements of family, poverty and religion in a small town, Wait Until Spring, Bandini tells the story of a winter in the ...

John Fante, 1999

Wait!: A Full-length Play

"Our girl Wendy Burger stands on the edge of a summer that will change her life forever. It's the summer she moves out of her father's house (and into the UPS truck). The summer she starts a theatre ..." -- p. 4 cover.

Julie Jensen, 2005

Wait No More: One Family's Amazing Adoption Journey

"Kelly and John Rosati never expected to adopt four children from the U.S. foster care system. But God's plan for them turned out to be more extraordinary than they could have dreamed"--From publisher description.

John Rosati, Kelly Rosati, 2011

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WAIT»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term wait is used in the context of the following news items.

Florida: Abortion Wait Blocked

A judge on Tuesday blocked a new state law that requires women to wait 24 hours before getting an abortion. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and ... «New York Times, Jun 15»

Scott Walker to sign legislation expanding gun rights in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) plans to sign two new laws on Wednesday that expand the rights of gun owners by removing a 48-hour waiting period for those ... «Washington Post, Jun 15»

Wait Lists Grow as Many More Veterans Seek Care and Funding …

One year after outrage about long waiting lists for health care shook the Department of Veterans Affairs, the agency is facing a new crisis: The number of ... «New York Times, Jun 15»

'Wait Wait': NPR fans mad about Kim Kardashian

Slate's Mike Pesca was the guest host of that edition of "Wait, Wait" and interviewed Kardashian. In a story he wrote headlined "I Interviewed Kim Kardashian for ... «CNN, Jun 15»

Gov. Rick Scott signs 24-hour abortion wait period, utility company …

Diving into an issue that continues to polarize the country, Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a requirement that Florida women visit a doctor and wait at least 24 ... «Miami Herald, Jun 15»

Women Are Being Forced To Wait Longer And Longer To Get An …

Abortion waiting periods typically require women to receive state-mandated counseling about abortion, then wait a set amount of time before they may have their ... «ThinkProgress, Jun 15»

48-hour abortion waiting period signed into Tennessee law

Women seeking an abortion in Tennessee will now have to make two trips to a clinic, waiting 48 hours after getting in-person counseling from a doctor before ... «The Tennessean, May 15»

Oklahoma is extending its abortion waiting period; more states could …

Oklahoma this fall will triple the length of its abortion waiting period, the latest in a flurry of state activity on such policies. Under the Oklahoma law, signed by Gov ... «Washington Post, May 15»

Woman demands reimbursement from Peterborough hospital for …

"There was absolutely no respect from any of the people there for the fact it was our time and we waited an extended period of time for a booked appointment," ... «CBC.ca, May 15»

Florida Senate Passes Bill Requiring 24-Hour Wait For Abortions

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 24 (Reuters) - The Florida Senate approved a bill on Friday mandating a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions, with all ... «Huffington Post, Apr 15»