wait/just a minute
idiom
informal
1
—used to tell someone to wait or to stop for a brief time
"Aren't you finished yet?" "Just a minute. I'm almost done."
Wait a minute—I didn't hear you. Could you repeat what you said?
Wait just a minute, young man. Where do you think you're going?
2
—used to express surprise or disbelief
Hey, wait a minute! That's not what you said yesterday!
Examples of wait/just a minute in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But wait a minute: Willy keeps on looking at the camera, and David keeps telling him to stop saying inappropriate things.
—
Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
Resurrection Christian cut it to one midway through the third quarter, but the Tigers responded with a 10-2 run to push it to nine with just a minute left in the frame.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Mohammed Kudus scored Ghana's opening goal just a minute later for a 1-0 halftime lead.
—CiarÁn Fahey, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024
Bryant Selebangue got the last technical just a minute and a half later, after a battle for a rebound on the UCLA end.
—Michelle Gardner, The Arizona Republic, 17 Jan. 2024
Shake it up and wait a minute for the slush to melt before pouring.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2024
More people at the bowling alley were placing 911 calls by 6:56 p.m., just a minute later, WGME reported.
—CBS News, 9 Jan. 2024
Hold his kids' hands as Dad. A Bucks staffer chased Lillard down and asked him to return to the locker room for just a minute, to discuss another performance for the ages.
—Lori Nickel, Journal Sentinel, 15 Jan. 2024
But wait a minute, power in Hollywood … isn’t that … the Jews?
—Jonah Platt, Variety, 18 Oct. 2023
Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
Resurrection Christian cut it to one midway through the third quarter, but the Tigers responded with a 10-2 run to push it to nine with just a minute left in the frame.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Mohammed Kudus scored Ghana's opening goal just a minute later for a 1-0 halftime lead.
—CiarÁn Fahey, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024
Bryant Selebangue got the last technical just a minute and a half later, after a battle for a rebound on the UCLA end.
—Michelle Gardner, The Arizona Republic, 17 Jan. 2024
Shake it up and wait a minute for the slush to melt before pouring.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2024
More people at the bowling alley were placing 911 calls by 6:56 p.m., just a minute later, WGME reported.
—CBS News, 9 Jan. 2024
Hold his kids' hands as Dad. A Bucks staffer chased Lillard down and asked him to return to the locker room for just a minute, to discuss another performance for the ages.
—Lori Nickel, Journal Sentinel, 15 Jan. 2024
But wait a minute, power in Hollywood … isn’t that … the Jews?
—Jonah Platt, Variety, 18 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wait/just a minute.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Cite this Entry
“Wait/just a minute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wait%2Fjust%20a%20minute. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share