waiter

noun

wait·​er ˈwā-tər 

1

: one that waits on another

especially : a person who waits tables (as in a restaurant)

2

: a tray on which something (such as a tea service) is carried : salver

Synonyms

• waitress
• server

Examples of waiter in a Sentence

waiters at that elegant restaurant must go through an extended training program before being allowed to serve customers

Recent Examples on the Web

While Dad tries to give Harrison directions from inside a vault, with the camera on FaceTime, Harrison is busy using waiter routes and vault codes to navigate the mansion. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025

Meanwhile, at Café Central, waiters dressed in waistcoats serve melange (a famed Viennese coffee) beneath vaulted ceilings once frequented by Trotsky and Freud. —Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

The kitchen staff will place food items on a platter, which a robot waiter will roll to the correct table. —Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2025

Lopez and the model-waiter were married for 11 months before finalizing their divorce in January 1998. —Ariana Quihuiz, People.com, 24 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing waiter

• wine waiter

Rhymes for waiter

• cater
• crater
• frater
• freighter
• gator
• grater
• greater
• hater
• krater
• later
• plater
• prater

Kids Definition

waiter

noun

wait·​er ˈwāt-ər 

: one that waits

especially : a person who waits tables (as in a restaurant)