1
VERB
[no passive] When you
wait
for
something or someone, you spend some time doing very little, because you cannot act until that thing happens or that person arrives. □ [V
+
2
N‑COUNT
[usu sing] A
wait
is a period of time in which you do very little, before something happens or before you can do something. □ [+
3
VERB
[usu cont] If something
is waiting
for
you, it is ready for you to use, have, or do. □ [V
+
4
VERB
[no cont] If you say that something can
wait
, you mean that it is not important or urgent and so you will deal with it or do it later. □ [V
]
5
VERB
You can use
wait
when you are trying to make someone feel excited, or to encourage or threaten them. □ [V
+
6
VERB
Wait
is used in expressions such as
wait a minute
,
wait a second
, and
wait a moment
to interrupt someone when they are speaking, for example because you object to what they are saying or because you want them to repeat something. [SPOKEN
] □ [V
n]
7
VERB
If an employee
waits
on
you, for example in a restaurant or hotel, they take orders from you and bring you what you want. □ [V
+
8
PHRASE
If you say that you
can't wait
to do something or
can hardly wait
to do it, you are emphasizing that you are very excited about it and eager to do it. [SPOKEN
, EMPHASIS
] □
9
PHRASE
If you tell someone to
wait and see
, you tell them that they must be patient or that they must not worry about what is going to happen in the future because they have no control over it. □
▸
wait around
in BRIT, also use wait about
PHRASAL VERB
If you
wait around
or
wait about
, you stay in the same place, usually doing very little, because you cannot act before something happens or before someone arrives. □ [V
P
+
▸
wait in
PHRASAL VERB
If you
wait in
, you deliberately stay at home and do not go out, for example because someone is coming to see you. [mainly BRIT
] □ [V
P
+