: a strategy in which one or more participants withhold action temporarily in the hope of having a favorable opportunity for more effective action later
Examples of waiting game in a Sentence
Until they make their decision, we're just playing a waiting game.
Recent Examples on the Web
Playing the waiting game paid off for the Giants, who now feature the top two finishers in last year’s National League Cy Young voting at the top of their rotation.
—
Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
Changes to the federal form that provides funds for millions of students to attend college each year have produced major delays this year, leaving students and universities alike to play a waiting game.
—The Enquirer, 16 Jan. 2024
The next few months will be a waiting game for him, as schools like his compile financial aid offers expected to arrive much later than in prior years.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024
Later, having carved out a small sense of day-to-day normalcy in their waiting game, the survivors are struck by an avalanche that upends their lives once again.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023
That waiting game seems poised to become even more dangerous as the death toll inside the enclave continues to rise.
—Shannon K. Crawford, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2023
But many buyers have lost patience with this waiting game.
—Ellen James Martin, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Even more than the average Hollywood endeavor, this production was a waiting game: waiting for the right time to reunite Payne and Giamatti after 2004’s Sideways, for the perfect script, for the perfect filming conditions, for the perfect release date.
—Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2024
The waiting game is finally over and so many luxury shopping destinations and cool-girl jewelry brands are offering Cyber Week deals that can't be beat.
—Jake Smith, Glamour, 27 Nov. 2023
Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
Changes to the federal form that provides funds for millions of students to attend college each year have produced major delays this year, leaving students and universities alike to play a waiting game.
—The Enquirer, 16 Jan. 2024
The next few months will be a waiting game for him, as schools like his compile financial aid offers expected to arrive much later than in prior years.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024
Later, having carved out a small sense of day-to-day normalcy in their waiting game, the survivors are struck by an avalanche that upends their lives once again.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023
That waiting game seems poised to become even more dangerous as the death toll inside the enclave continues to rise.
—Shannon K. Crawford, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2023
But many buyers have lost patience with this waiting game.
—Ellen James Martin, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Even more than the average Hollywood endeavor, this production was a waiting game: waiting for the right time to reunite Payne and Giamatti after 2004’s Sideways, for the perfect script, for the perfect filming conditions, for the perfect release date.
—Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2024
The waiting game is finally over and so many luxury shopping destinations and cool-girl jewelry brands are offering Cyber Week deals that can't be beat.
—Jake Smith, Glamour, 27 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'waiting game.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near waiting game
Cite this Entry
“Waiting game.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waiting%20game. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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