EN

Synonyms for wait

  • verb
  • noun

Most common

await linger look remain stop hold back go with bide one's time

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Delay until

await, linger, look, remain, expect dated, bide dated, abide dated, tarry dated

2. Stay

stop, hold back, hold on, postpone, hold off, stay dated

3. Go with — to attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany

go with, do for, tend, attend, escort

4. Bide one's time

bide one's time, mark time, hold one's breath

Other

pause, defer, serve, waitress, watch dated, halt dated, bestand rare

Noun

delay, hold, time lag, postponement

Antonyms

act, go, leave

All antonyms of wait →

Definitions

  1. v. 1

    To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany.

  2. v. 2

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

    Wait here until your car arrives.

  3. v. 3

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

    She used to wait in this joint.

  4. n. 1

    A delay.

    I had a very long wait at the airport security check.

Related words

Phrases
wait on wait for lie in wait lying in wait wait upon wait a minute busy wait wait time

Forms

Plural
waits → delays, holds, postponements…
Past participle
waited
e.g. waited → awaited, lingered, looked, remained…

Choose the right word

Wait, Lodge, Sojourn, Stay, Tarry or Remain?

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.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • await Take heart, then, brave ones, our homes await you.
  • linger Impressions linger long after the moment.
  • pause In Lojban, the dot "." is a pause or glottal stop.
  • waitress "Sue's very angry with you," my new waitress said.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
waitrising
awaitfalling
lingerrising
pauserising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters
look1, stop1, stay1, hold1, tend1, halt1, bide1
5 letters
watch1, serve1, delay2, pause1, await2, abide2, defer2, tarry2
6 letters
expect2, remain2, attend2, escort2, linger2
7 letters
bestand
8 letters
waitress2, postpone2
12 letters
postponement3

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (delay2 = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français
attendre
Deutsch
harren
Català
esperar