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

Black voters await their chance to get to the polls July 17, 1946, in Marietta, Georgia, as voting in the primary got underway. — Seth Limmer, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026

This frontal elevation makes an indelible first impression while only hinting at what awaits inside. — James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026

The final state to finish voting on Election Day and by this point in the night (early Wednesday morning on the East Coast), people will be eagerly awaiting the first drop of results for the toss-up Senate race. — Maham Javaid, NPR, 1 Nov. 2026

As Philip awaits trial at home, Lucy processes the shock, too smart to believe this is all some awful misunderstanding. — Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 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