wait (redirected from waiting up)

wait  (wt)

v. wait·ed, wait·ing, waits

v.intr.

1.

a. To remain or rest in expectation: waiting for the guests to arrive. See Synonyms at stay¹.

b. To tarry until another catches up.

2. To remain or be in readiness: lunch waiting on the table.

3. To remain temporarily neglected, unattended to, or postponed: The trip will have to wait.

4. To work as a waiter or waitress.

v.tr.

1. To remain or stay in expectation of; await: wait one's turn.

2. Informal To delay (a meal or an event); postpone: They waited lunch for us.

3. To be a waiter or waitress at: wait tables.

n.

1. The act of waiting or the time spent waiting.

2. Chiefly British

a. One of a group of musicians employed, usually by a city, to play in parades or public ceremonies.

b. One of a group of musicians or carolers who perform in the streets at Christmastime.

Phrasal Verbs:

wait on/upon

1. To serve the needs of; be in attendance on.

2. To make a formal call on; visit.

3. To follow as a result; depend on.

4. To await: They're waiting on my decision.

wait out

To delay until the termination of: wait out a war; waited out the miniskirt craze.

wait up

1. To postpone going to bed in anticipation of something or someone.

2. Informal To stop or pause so that another can catch up: Let's wait up for the stragglers.

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[Middle English waiten, from Old North French waitier, to watch, of Germanic origin; see weg- in Indo-European roots.]

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wait

Verb

1. to stay in one place or remain inactive in expectation of something: the delegates have to wait for a reply

2. to be temporarily delayed: the celebrations can wait

3. (of a thing) to be ready or be in store: waiting for her on the library table was the latest Jilly Cooper novel

Noun

1. the act or a period of waiting

2. lie in wait for

a. to prepare an ambush for

b. to be ready or be in store for

See also wait on, wait up [Old French waitier]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	wait - time during which some action is awaited; "instant replay caused too long a delay"; "he ordered a hold in the action" delay, postponement, time lag, hold pause, suspension, intermission, interruption, break - a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something extension - a mutually agreed delay in the date set for the completion of a job or payment of a debt; "they applied for an extension of the loan" moratorium - a legally authorized postponement before some obligation must be discharged retardation - the extent to which something is delayed or held back
	2.	wait - the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something); "the wait was an ordeal for him" waiting inactivity - being inactive; being less active
Verb	1.	wait - stay in one place and anticipate or expect something; "I had to wait on line for an hour to get the tickets" ambuscade, ambush, bushwhack, lie in wait, scupper, waylay, lurk - wait in hiding to attack cool one's heels, kick one's heels - wait or pass the time aimlessly or futilely; be kept waiting; "She kicked her heels for hours at the gate of the Embassy" stick about, stick around, stand by - be available or ready for a certain function or service
	2.	wait - wait before acting; "the scientists held off announcing their results until they repeated the experiment" hold off, hold back act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" hold out - wait uncompromisingly for something desirable; "He held out for the dessert and did not touch the cheeses" delay - act later than planned, scheduled, or required; "Don't delay your application to graduate school or else it won't be considered"
	3.	wait - look forward to the probable occurrence of; "We were expecting a visit from our relatives"; "She is looking to a promotion"; "he is waiting to be drafted" await, expect, look expect - look forward to the birth of a child; "She is expecting in March" anticipate, expect - regard something as probable or likely; "The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow" look forward - expect or hope for; "I look to hear from you soon" look to - turn one's interests or expectations towards; "look to the future"; "this method looks to significant wavings" hold the line, hang on, hold on - hold the phone line open; "Please hang on while I get your folder" look for, look to, anticipate - be excited or anxious about
	4.	wait - serve as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant; "I'm waiting on tables at Maxim's" waitress work - exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor"

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wait

verb 1. stay, remain, stop, pause, rest, delay, linger, hover, hang around (informal) dally, loiter, tarry << OPPOSITE go

verb 2. stand by, delay, hold on (informal) hold back, wait in the wings, mark time, hang fire, bide your time, kick your heels, cool your heels

verb 3. be postponed, be suspended, be delayed, be put off, be put back, be deferred, be put on hold (informal) be shelved, be tabled, be held over, be put on ice (informal) be put on the back burner (informal)

noun 4. delay, gap, pause, interval, stay, rest, halt, hold-up, lull, stoppage, hindrance, hiatus, entr'acte

wait for or on something or someone await, expect, look forward to, hope for, anticipate, look for

wait on or upon someone serve, tend to, look after, take care of, minister to, attend to, cater to

wait up stay awake, stay up, keep vigil

Translations

wait [weɪt] n → espera (= interval); pausa

vi → esperar;

to lie in wait for → acechar a;

I can't wait to (fig) → estoy deseando;

to wait for → esperar (a);

to keep sb waiting → hacer esperar a algn;

wait a moment! → ¡un momento!, ¡un momentito!;

"repairs while you wait" → "reparaciones en el acto"

wait behind vi → quedarse

wait on vt fus → servir a

wait up vi → esperar levantado

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wait [weɪt] n → attente f

vi → attendre;

to wait for sb/sth → attendre qn/qch;

to keep sb waiting → faire attendre qn;

wait for me, please → attendez-moi, s'il vous plaît;

wait a minute! → un instant!;

"repairs while you wait" → "réparations minute";

I can't wait to ... (fig) → je meurs d'envie de ...;

to lie in wait for → guetter

wait behind vi → rester (à attendre)

wait on vt fus → servir

wait up vi → attendre, ne pas se coucher;

don't wait up for me → ne m'attendez pas pour aller vous coucher

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wait [weɪt] n → Wartezeit f

vi → warten;

to lie in wait for sb → jdm auflauern;

to keep sb waiting → jdn warten lassen;

I can't wait to ... (fig) → ich kann es kaum erwarten, zu ...;

to wait for sb/sth → auf jdn/etw warten;

wait a minute! → Moment mal!;

"repairs while you wait" → "Reparaturen sofort"

wait behind wait vi → zurückbleiben

wait on wait vt fus (= serve) → bedienen

wait up wait vi → aufbleiben;

don't wait up for me wait → warte nicht auf mich

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wait [weɪt] n → attesa

vi → aspettare, attendere;

to wait for → aspettare;

to keep sb waiting → far aspettare qn;

wait a moment! → (aspetti) un momento!;

"repairs while you wait" → "riparazioni lampo";

I can't wait to ... (fig) → non vedo l'ora di ...;

to lie in wait for → stare in agguato a

wait behind vi → rimanere (ad aspettare)

wait on vt fus → servire

wait up vi → restare alzato/a (ad aspettare);

don't wait up for me → non rimanere alzato per me