wait a minute/moment/second

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phrase (1)

1

—used to tell someone to stop and wait briefly

Wait a minute. I need to tie my shoe.

If you will just wait a second, I can explain what happened.

2

—used to interrupt someone or something because one has noticed, thought of, or remembered something

Wait a second—that's not what she said.

Wait a minute. I just remembered where I put the keys.

wait/just a moment

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phrase (2)

informal

—used to tell someone to wait or to stop for a brief time

"Aren't you finished yet?" "Just a moment. I'm almost done."

Wait a moment—I don't understand.

Examples of wait a minute/moment/second in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Phrase

Because on the other end, legal will say, ‘Well, wait a minute. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025

Go to AmIUnique and wait a minute or two for the test to run. — Jacob Roach, Wired News, 16 Oct. 2025

Phrase

When finished, wait a moment for your passages to drain fully, then repeat on the other side. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026

The always affable 27-year-old paused for just a moment before answering the question. — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2026