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

Would Alejandro González Iñárritu’s breathlessly awaited, Tom Cruise vehicle Digger be sailing to the Lido? — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Aug. 2026

Both men were arrested in February 2018 and remain on bail awaiting trial. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026

These and many other TV shows and movies await your viewing pleasure this weekend, and this list has them all. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Plenty of other tough decisions await Illinois lawmakers and regulators as the debate unfolds. — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 7 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