Synonyms for wait
weɪtwait

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. waitnoun

   Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians.

   Synonyms:
   hold ones breath

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.3 / 3 votes

1. wait

   To abide is to remain continuously without limit of time unless expressed by the context: "to-day I must abide at thy house," Luke xix, 5; "a settled place for thee to abide in forever," 1 Kings viii, 13; "Abide with me! fast falls the eventide," Lyte Hymn. Lodge, sojourn, stay, tarry, and wait always imply a limited time; lodge, to pass the night; sojourn, to remain temporarily; live, dwell, reside, to have a permanent home. Stop, in the sense of stay or sojourn, is colloquial, and not in approved use. Compare ENDURE; REST.

   Synonyms:
   abide, anticipate, await, bear, bide, confront, continue, dwell, endure, expect, inhabit, live, lodge, remain, reside, rest, sojourn, stay, stop, tarry, tolerate, watch

   Antonyms:
   abandon, avoid, depart, forfeit, forfend, journey, migrate, move, proceed, reject, resist, shun

   Preposition:
   Abide in a place, for a time, with a person, by a statement.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.5 / 2 votes

1. wait

   Synonyms:
   stay, tarry, rest, stop, bide, expect

   Antonyms:
   speed, hasten, press

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:3.5 / 4 votes

1. delay, hold, time lag, postponement, waitnoun

   time during which some action is awaited

   "instant replay caused too long a delay"; "he ordered a hold in the action"

   Synonyms:
   clutch, grip, storage area, delay, keep, holdup, detainment, deferral, handle, hold, appreciation, handgrip, cargo area, detention, postponement, waiting, custody, clasp, cargo deck, clench, clutches, grasp, time lag, deferment, cargo hold

2. wait, waitingverb

   the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

   "the wait was an ordeal for him"

   Synonyms:
   waiting, postponement, time lag, hold, delay

3. waitverb

   stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

   "I had to wait on line for an hour to get the tickets"

   Synonyms:
   expect, await, waitress, look, hold off, hold back

4. wait, hold off, hold backverb

   wait before acting

   "the scientists held off announcing their results until they repeated the experiment"

   Synonyms:
   await, waitress, hold in, keep, restrain, hold back, hold off, hold, look, check, conceal, retain, contain, keep back, forbear, stop, expect, arrest, turn back

5. expect, look, await, waitverb

   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"

   Synonyms:
   count, await, search, appear, depend, hold back, seem, carry, hold off, front, reckon, look, gestate, bet, attend, require, anticipate, waitress, take care, have a bun in the oven, face, ask, calculate, expect, bear, see

6. wait, waitressverb

   serve as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant

   "I'm waiting on tables at Maxim's"

   Synonyms:
   expect, await, waitress, look, hold off, hold back

Matched Categories

1. • Work

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. waitverb

   Synonyms:
   stay, tarry, delay, remain, linger, bide one's time

2. waitverb

   Synonyms:
   watch, look, be expectant

3. waitverb

   Synonyms:
   await, abide, stay for, wait for, look for

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. waitnoun

   Synonyms:
   waiting, delay, halt, stop, ambush, ambuscade

2. waitverb

   Synonyms:
   tarry, stay, linger, await, abide, delay, postpone, defer, procrastinate

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "wait":

   waiting, expect, await, expected, sufferance, -wait, w-wait, suspense, awaits, w-w-wait, espere, wait-wait-wait, expectation, standby, expects, expecting, delay, hold

Suggested Resources

1. WAIT

   What does WAIT stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the WAIT acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

How to pronounce wait?

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How to use wait in a sentence?

1. Jacob Ostreicher:

   I think there's also something that happens to you when you land only an hour and a half after you take off from Miami, Florida. And in that much time, you're in a country surrounded by people who have had absolutely no experience or dependence on comfort in their entire experience. ... This is a culture of people who, every time a child's fever rises, has to just wait and see if they're going to die, and they've persevered through these kinds of basic hardships with so much strength.

2. Jesse ODonaghey:

   We are told that the pair had the wherewithal to construct a shelter and build a fire for warmth, and more importantly stay put and wait for help.

3. Michele Bolles:

   In the case of a stroke, the longer you wait, the more brain damage and brain tissue is lost, and for a person experiencing a heart attack, the same is true -- time equals heart muscle -- and in those two incidences, time is critical. Every minute counts.

4. Arianna Fitts:

   I do believe that Arianna is still alive, and it would mean everything to me to know where she is and to find her, i wait for that day, every single day. I believe that day will come.

5. Lon Beale:

   It’s not limited to the climate. We don’t have wait for the snow, we don’t have to wait for the waves. The sand waits for us. Anytime you want to ride it, it’s there.