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Definition of wait noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

wait

noun
 
/weɪt/
 
/weɪt/
[usually singular]Idioms
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  1. an act of waiting; an amount of time waited
    • The wait seemed interminable.
    • It took six months for the house to be finished, but it was worth the wait.
    • wait for somebody/something We had a long wait for the bus.
    • He now faces an agonizing two-month wait for the test results.
    • We had a half-hour wait to see the doctor.
    • wait of… There could be a wait of four months or more.
    Homophones wait | weightwait   weight
     
    /weɪt/
     
    /weɪt/
    • wait verb
      • You won't have to wait long—the next train is in five minutes.
    • wait noun
      • It was an anxious wait, but finally she found out that she'd passed.
    • weight noun
      • He has lost a lot of weight.
    • weight verb
      • Weight the tablecloth down so that it doesn't move or blow away.
    Extra Examples
    • The dress was so beautiful when it arrived that it was well worth the wait.
    • a short wait for an ambulance
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • endless
    • lengthy
    • long
    verb + wait
    • face
    • have
    preposition
    • wait for
    phrases
    • be worth the wait
    See full entry
    Word OriginMiddle English: from Old Northern French waitier, of Germanic origin; related to the verb wake. Early senses included ‘lie in wait (for)’, ‘observe carefully’, and ‘be watchful’.
Idioms
lie in wait (for somebody)
  1. to hide, waiting to surprise, attack or catch somebody
    • He was surrounded by reporters who had been lying in wait for him.
See wait in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee wait in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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