await

verb

ə-ˈwāt 

awaited; awaiting; awaits

transitive verb

1

a

: to wait for

We are awaiting his arrival.

await a decision

b

: 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 fortune awaited.

—Tom Marvel

3

obsolete : attend

Synonyms of await

• expect
• anticipate

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 on the Web

Insider tip Take the living room stairs up to the second floor where a secluded lounge area awaits. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026

As has become a tradition with all of her press tours, fans eagerly await each of her premiere looks to drop and Brand New Day was no different. — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 1 Aug. 2026

There have long been owls and hawks who live outside of zoos in New York, and there’s a fate that awaits them. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Aug. 2026

Kendall remains in Contra Costa County jail and is awaiting transfer to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to begin serving his sentence. — Jason Green, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French aweiter, aguaiter, from a- (from Latin ad-) + guaiter to watch — more at wait

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Rhymes for await

• abate
• airfreight
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate
• castrate

Kids Definition

await

verb

ə-ˈwāt 

1

: to wait for : expect

await a train

2

: to be ready or waiting for

a reward awaits you