Definition of await
transitive verb
1a : to wait for We are awaiting his arrival. await a decisionb : to remain in abeyance until a treaty awaiting ratification
2 : to be in store for He wonders what awaits him next.
3 obsolete : to lie in wait for
intransitive verb
1 : to stay or be in waiting : wait The nation awaited as Congress debated the issue.
2 : to be in store … marched … north to civilization where fame and forturne awaited. — Tom Marvel
3 obsolete : attend
Read the Latest from M-W
Examples of await in a Sentence
A crowd of people awaited the train.
We're eagerly awaiting his arrival.
He was arrested and is now in prison awaiting trial.
Her long-awaited new novel is finally being published.
The same fate awaits us all.
Recent Examples of await from the Web
-
The goal of the research, eagerly awaited by oncologists, was to determine whether a three-month course of chemo was as effective as six months of treatment in staving off a recurrence in people with Stage 3 colon cancer.
-
While the law still awaits approval next week from the upper house of parliament, the lower house is widely recognized as the more powerful branch, capable of overriding vetoes from the upper house with a two-thirds majority.
-
That experience gives Thompson a point of reference and a wealth of knowledge to convey to his team this week as the Tigers await their seeding.
-
The U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn said Friday that Gustavo Bermudez-Vanegas was awaiting arraignment on a cocaine-distribution conspiracy charge.
-
Scores of fans gathered outside the cemetery during the service awaiting a public viewing of Cornell's grave site later Friday afternoon.
-
There are several young pitchers in the system — at low-A, recovering from injury or awaiting the start of the rookie league season.
-
And local residents with a taste for the finer things in life eagerly awaited their international standard-bearer.
-
In 2007, Wall Street analysts eagerly awaited a price tag for Soliris.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'await'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of await
Middle English, from Anglo-French aweiter, aguaiter, from a- (from Latin ad-) + guaiter to watch — more at wait
First Known Use: 13th century
AWAIT Defined for English Language Learners
await
playDefinition of await for English Language Learners
-
: to wait for (someone or something)
-
: to be ready or waiting for (someone or something)
AWAIT Defined for Kids
await
playDefinition of await for Students
awaited
;awaiting
1 : to wait for await a train
2 : to be ready or waiting for Dinner was awaiting them on their arrival.
Learn More about await
-
See words that rhyme with await Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for await Spanish Central: Translation of await Nglish: Translation of await for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of await for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up await? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!