waive

verb

\ ˈwāv

waived; waiving

Definition of waive

transitive verb

1 archaic : give up, forsake

2 : to throw away (stolen goods)

3 archaic : to shunt aside (a danger or duty) : evade

4a : to relinquish (something, such as a legal right) voluntarily waive a jury trial

b : to refrain from pressing or enforcing (something, such as a claim or rule) : forgo waive the fee

5 : to put off from immediate consideration : postpone

6 [ influenced by ¹wave ] : to dismiss with or as if with a wave of the hand waived the problem aside

7 : to place (a ball player) on waivers also : to release after placing on waivers

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Choose the Right Synonym for waive

relinquish, yield, resign, surrender, abandon, waive mean to give up completely. relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness. relinquished her crown yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force. the troops yielded ground grudgingly resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle. resigned her position surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist. surrendered their claims abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up. abandoned all hope waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion. waived the right to a trial by jury

Examples of waive in a Sentence

She waived her right to a lawyer. The university waives the application fee for low-income students.

Recent Examples on the Web

Not when he was waived by the Chiefs after appearing in just one game in his rookie season. — Mike Vorel, The Seattle Times, "How his brother’s cancer battle became Seahawks safety Bradley McDougald’s motivation," 2 Jan. 2019 More recently, Republicans in Maine and Kansas imposed work requirements for food stamps after they were waived during the economic downturn. — Alvin Chang, Vox, "The Republican push for welfare “work requirements,” cartoonsplained," 26 July 2018 In less than three years, Cook was waived four times and signed three 10-day contracts. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Quinn Cook: How Warriors guard found his niche in NBA," 29 June 2018 Google is waiving its traditional 30 percent fee for apps and in-app purchases as part of the program, which the company is calling Giving Season on Play. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Google will let Android users donate directly to nonprofits through the Play Store," 12 Dec. 2018 The downgrade would expose Pakistan to potential American sanctions, but Pompeo waived those penalties, citing U.S. national interests. — Munir Ahmed, The Seattle Times, "Pakistan rejects US rebuke on religious freedoms," 11 Dec. 2018 Beijing has waived some loans owed by the continent’s poorest countries in an effort to dispel criticism. — Jessica Donati, WSJ, "U.S. Sanctions Gambia’s Former President," 10 Dec. 2018 The city also waived the landing and rental fees at the airport, about $125,000, and spent $250,000 on marketing for United flights to and from Denver. — Aditi Shrikant, Vox, "Why air service is so crucial for small cities," 12 Nov. 2018 The Queen reportedly waived her rule regarding only spouses attending the festive celebrations, allowing Meghan to attend as Harry's fiancée. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "How Meghan Markle's Life Has Changed in the Past Year," 25 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'waive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

7 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for waive

The first known use of waive was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for waive

waive

verb

English Language Learners Definition of waive

: to officially say that you will not use or require something that you are allowed to have or that is usually required

See the full definition for waive in the English Language Learners Dictionary

waive

verb

\ ˈwāv

waived; waiving

Kids Definition of waive

: to give up claim to

waive

transitive verb

\ ˈwāv

waived; waiving

Legal Definition of waive

1 : to relinquish (as a right or privilege) voluntarily and intentionally the defendant waived a felony hearing on the charge — National Law Journal — compare forfeit, reserve

2 : to refrain from enforcing or requiring some statutes waive the age requirement— W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.