waive

verb \ ˈwāv \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of waive

waived; waiving

transitive verb

1 archaic : give up, forsake

2 : to throw away (stolen goods)

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

4 a : 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

[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

See waive defined for English-language learners

See waive defined for kids

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 of waive from the Web

The de facto holdout last spring, complete with Beckman waiving his absence in everyone’s face, via social media.

— albert breer, SI.com, "NFL Draft Rumors Start in Cleveland, Where No. 1 Overall Pick is No Sure Thing," 12 Apr. 2018
Chairman Barnes requested that counsel inform the Committee by Monday, March 26, 2018 whether Greitens intended to exercise or waive his right to testify before the Committee at this point in time.

— kansascity, "Read full report from Missouri House committee investigating Greitens allegations | The Kansas City Star," 11 Apr. 2018
Louisiana has 70 inmates awaiting execution, but the state hasn't killed anyone since 2010, when Gerald Bordelon waived his right to several appeals that would have prevented his execution.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "Proposal to end death penalty rejected in Louisiana House committee," 11 Apr. 2018
Trump has set a May 12 deadline to improve or scrap the accord -- made by his predecessor Barack Obama -- that waived sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on the country’s nuclear activities.

— Bloomberg.com, "Mnuchin Signals ‘Very Strong’ New Sanctions on Iran Coming," 11 Apr. 2018
Golden State’s options came down to cutting Casspi or waiving someone from its center-by-committee sextet of Zaza Pachulia, Jordan Bell, David West, JaVale McGee, Kevon Looney and Damian Jones.

— marc stein, New York Times, "Omri Casspi a Casualty of Golden State’s Numbers Game," 8 Apr. 2018
The Dallas Cowboys made a couple transactions Wednesday, signing kicker/punter Brett Maher and waiving wide receiver Brian Brown.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "Cowboys sign kicker Brett Maher for more depth, release receiver Brian Brown | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 4 Apr. 2018
Henry was arrested last week in Cameron County, Texas, and waived extradition to Kansas during a court hearing.

— CBS News, "Waterslide designer detained over decapitation of 10-year-old boy," 3 Apr. 2018
Henry was arrested Monday in Cameron County, Texas, and waived extradition to Kansas during a court hearing Wednesday.

— NBC News, "Kansas Department of Labor to audit water park where boy decapitated," 29 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of waive

Middle English weiven to decline, reject, give up, from Anglo-French waiver, gaiver, from waif lost, stray — more at waif

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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

WAIVE Defined for English Language Learners

waive

verb

Definition of waive for English Language Learners

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

WAIVE Defined for Kids

waive

verb \ ˈwāv \

Definition of waive for Students

waived; waiving

: to give up claim to

Law Dictionary

waive

transitive verb \ ˈwāv \

legal Definition of waive

waived; waiving

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.

—

waivable

adjective

Origin and Etymology of waive

Anglo-French waiver weiver, literally to abandon, forsake, from waif weif forlorn, stray, probably from Old Norse veif something loose or flapping