How to Use wait in a Sentence

wait

1 of 2 verb
Definition of waitnext
Synonyms for waitnext
  • We waited for the sun to set before starting the fire.
  • I hate waiting in long lines.
  • Wait! Don't start the engine yet.
  • I waited and waited but he never showed up.
  • She waited behind after class to talk to the professor.
  • They waited at the train station together.
  • You should have waited a little longer. He showed up right after you left.
  • I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. How may I help you?
  • I know she was happy when I lost my job. She was waiting to see me fail.
  • I don't have time to wait around. If he's not here in five minutes, I'm leaving.
  • The White House is waiting for the House to elect a new speaker.
    — Lisa Mascaro, Time, 7 Oct. 2023
  • But don't wait too long to order—the sale ends April 8.
    — Ellen McAlpine, Men's Health, 7 Apr. 2023
  • The spring gets crowded and wait times can range from one to three hours.
    — Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 31 Aug. 2023
  • Knowing the stakes, all Winn could do for most of camp was wait.
    — Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024
  • If not, Spalding says to give it time and wait for the right piece to come along.
    — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Jan. 2024
  • Some people had been waiting hours to nab one of the spots.
    — Laylan Connelly, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2024
  • While waiting at the gate, my husband went to get us some food for the flight.
    — Susanne Rust, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Aug. 2023
  • Get ready to wait While Big Tech likes to disrupt and break things, medicine does not.
    — Victoria Song, The Verge, 18 Mar. 2023
  • Playboi Carti fans will have to wait a bit longer to see the rapper in the USA.
    — USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023
  • Your aggressive push to get rid of your debt has to wait.
    — Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 26 July 2023
  • There’s no need to wait until Black Friday for a great deal on a new TV.
    — Nicola Fumo, Peoplemag, 12 July 2023
  • The search is on for wide umbrellas under which fans can wait.
    — Catherine Porter, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
  • The birds are late nesters and wait until mid-summer to start settling down for breeding.
    — Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
  • More recent arrivals will wait years for their cases to wind through the system.
    — Eileen Sullivan, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023
  • Right now, the plan is to build up the social-service piece in the Metro, so people ride the trains all day until the trains stop and wait for the buses to start up.
    — Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2023
  • When the crowd arrived at the top of a hill, organizers were waiting with a surprise.
    — Brooke Jarvis, New York Times, 26 July 2023
  • Silky-smooth intimates, cozy loungewear, and even a get-up worthy of a night out are all waiting to be added to your cart.
    — Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 31 Oct. 2023
  • My whole country is watching in Brazil, waiting for this.
    — Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023
  • The four patients will now have to wait at least a month, for their next ovulation, to start an embryo transfer.
    — Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
  • Our spring mornings had not been filled with the joyful song of this tiny bird and the 4-by-4-inch nest box remained waiting and empty.
    — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2023
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wait

2 of 2 noun
  • Tuesday night’s game was worth the wait for the Red Sox.
    — Andrew Mahoney, BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2023
  • And one of the most famous waits until the game is over.
    — Erick Smith, USA TODAY, 29 Aug. 2023
  • But the wait for the next total solar eclipse in the U.S. isn't too long.
    — Jason Rossi, The Enquirer, 9 Apr. 2024
  • The wait for the return of Love Is Blind is almost over!
    — Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 7 Feb. 2024
  • The four-year break between albums well worth the wait.
    — Alex Gonzalez, Variety, 7 Apr. 2023
  • On July 2, the wait was down to 90 days, according to the web site.
    — Time, 3 July 2023
  • Her striking evening look, styled by Law Roach, was well worth the wait.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2023
  • At the peak, the wait was up to three hours for a drink and snack, reported the Chicago Sun Times.
    — Chris Morris, Fortune, 25 Jan. 2024
  • The process to get an appointment was easy and her wait was about two weeks.
    — Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024
  • Even on a chilly Monday evening, the wait at Cho Dang Gol was more than an hour.
    — Priya Krishna, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2024
  • The new buses don’t only cut the wait time in half from an hour, but expand the routes.
    — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
  • As such, wait times can reach two hours or more during a rush.
    — Rory Appleton, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Mar. 2023
  • On July 2, the wait was down to 90 days, according to the website.
    — Laurie Kellman, BostonGlobe.com, 3 July 2023
  • The goal is to reduce wait times and improve access to care for patients.
    — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2024
  • This go around, there were no complaints from my son about the walking and only a few about the ride wait times.
    — Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 11 Oct. 2023
  • Gazans wishing to cross the border often have long waits.
    — Abbas Al Lawati, CNN, 17 Oct. 2023
  • To cut your wait time short, get here at least 15 minutes before the restaurant opens.
    — Caroline Shin, Bon Appétit, 13 Oct. 2023
  • After a four-year wait, the next chapter in the John Wick saga is finally here.
    — Christian Holub, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2023
  • For people wanting to try new frozen custard and see the menu for West Bend Creamery, the wait is over.
    — Cathy Kozlowicz, Journal Sentinel, 25 July 2023
  • Now, the wait—and all those speculative Tweets—are over.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 23 Mar. 2023
  • After a long wait, Kramer was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
    — Journal Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024
  • And though breakfast is simple — porridge, toast, and eggs — dinner each evening was worth the wait.
    — Tayari Jones, Travel + Leisure, 26 July 2023
  • But most patients The Tribune spoke with faced months-long wait times for a variety of health care needs.
    — The Salt Lake Tribune, 25 Aug. 2023
  • The wait is almost over, according to the weather service.
    — Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024
  • Seasons arrives six and a half years after 2016’s Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, but the set is more than worth the wait.
    — Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 14 Apr. 2023
  • And during the scene that depicted Manziel’s long wait to hear his name on draft night, the camera cut to his father, Paul.
    — Jimmy Watkins, cleveland, 10 Aug. 2023
  • Nearing evening, a majority of the low clouds were moving on but high clouds still sat in wait.
    — Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2024
  • Both shakes are tableside even as wait staff light a sparkler on top of each dessert, to make your meal memorable.
    — Alex Darus, cleveland, 28 July 2023
  • Back then, the only way to check wait times was to look at the physical signs outside attractions.
    — Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024
  • Speaking of lines, as the morning progressed, the wait for the portable toilets grew to 20 minutes or more.
    — The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wait.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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