wait

CEFRA1

/weɪt/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To stay in one place until someone or something arrives.

  2. 02

    verb

    To delay doing something until a later time.

Examples

  • I don't want to wait that long.

  • It's frustrating to have to wait so long.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /weʈ/
  • /wɛjʈ/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.

  2. To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.

  3. To delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to await. (Now generally superseded by “wait for”.)

More examples

In context

  • I’m still waiting for you to pay me back the money I lent you..

  • She used to wait in this joint.

  • I can only wait.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Please blank for me here at the bus stop until I arrive.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English waiten, from Anglo-Norman waiter, waitier (compare French guetter from Old French gaitier, guaitier), from Frankish *wahtwēn (“to watch, guard”), derivative of Frankish *wahtu (“guard, watch”), from Proto-Germanic *wahtwō (“guard, watch”), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- (“to be fresh, cheerful, awake”). Cognate with Old High German wahtēn (“to watch, guard”), German Low German wachten (“to wait”), Dutch wachten (“to wait, expect”), French guetter (“to watch out for”), Saterland Frisian wachtje (“to wait”), West Frisian wachtsje (“to wait”), North Frisian wachtjen (“to stand, stay put”). More at watch. In some senses, merged or influenced by Middle English waiten, weiten...