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

• 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

Police reported the suspect got into an awaiting black SUV driven by a second suspect, and the pair fled the scene. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025

Typically, youth held there are awaiting court hearings, being held on dispositional or correctional orders, or participating in the county's Accountability Program. —Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025

There were routes in which Brown broke inside, and a defender was awaiting. —Zach Berman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025

But investors are now awaiting two key inflation reports that could determine what Federal Reserve policymakers will do at their meeting next week. —Sarah Min, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025

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