wait🔊

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

(US) To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.

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 (Now generally superseded by “wait for”.)

(obsolete) To attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.

(obsolete) To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany.

(colloquial) To defer or postpone (especially a meal).

(except in phrases) To watch with malicious intent; to lie in wait

To remain faithful to one’s partner or betrothed during a prolonged period of absence.

A delay.

An ambush.

(computing) (wait state).

(obsolete) One who watches; a watchman.

(UK) Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians.

(UK) Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen. [formerly waites, wayghtes.]

(informal) Tells the other speaker to stop talking, typing etc. for a moment, often to allow clarification. +