waiver

noun

waiv·er | \ ˈwā-vər

Definition of waiver

1 : the act of intentionally relinquishing or abandoning a known right, claim, or privilege also : the legal instrument evidencing such an act

2 : the act of a club's waiving the right to claim a professional ball player who is being removed from another club's roster —often used in the phrase on waivers denoting the process by which a player to be removed from a roster is made available to other clubs

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Examples of waiver in a Sentence

a criminal defendant's waiver of a jury trial The college got a special waiver from the town to exceed the building height limit. He signed an insurance waiver before surgery.

Recent Examples on the Web Take advantage of an auto rental collision damage waiver, trip cancellation/interruption insurance and travel emergency services for legal and medical assistance. — Caroline Lupini, USA TODAY, 25 June 2021 In Berding's hearing in May, the defendant was granted a waiver of presence, which could suggest there were no objections to his bond. — Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 17 June 2021 French President Emmanuel Macron has also flipped on the issue and now backs the waiver, which was originally proposed by India and South Africa. — David Meyer, Fortune, 10 June 2021 In the two days of talks, South Africa and India presented a recent revision of their proposal – now backed by over 60 countries – that stressed a temporary, three-year waiver for COVID-19 products, the official said. — Jamey Keaten, Star Tribune, 9 June 2021 The waiver, proposed in November 2020 by India and South Africa, would allow poor countries to produce Covid-19 vaccines without paying pharmaceutical companies for patent rights, at least until the pandemic is over. — Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, 28 May 2021 To participate in roller skating or the Sports Zone, attendees must sign a waiver, which can be completed in person or in advance online at deckedoutdetroit.com/midway. — Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 27 May 2021 But public-health officials and authorities in poor countries don’t expect the waiver—which could take months to negotiate—to have an impact until at least 2022. — Saeed Shah, WSJ, 21 May 2021 The waiver, which is currently set to expire in September 2022, provides Texas with $11 billion a year in federal funding. — Gilbert Garcia, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'waiver.' 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

19 Jul 2021

Cite this Entry

“Waiver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waiver. Accessed 30 Jul. 2021.

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More Definitions for waiver

waiver

noun

English Language Learners Definition of waiver

: the act of choosing not to use or require something that you are allowed to have or that is usually required

: an official document indicating that someone has given up or waived a right or requirement

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

waiver

noun

waiv·er | \ ˈwā-vər

Legal Definition of waiver

: the act of intentionally or knowingly relinquishing or abandoning a known right, claim, or privilege also : the legal instrument evidencing such an act — compare estoppel, forfeiture

Note: Acts or statements made while forming or carrying out a contract may constitute a waiver and prevent a party from enforcing a contractual right (as when an insurer is barred from disclaiming liability because of facts known to it when it issued the insurance policy). Varying standards are applied by courts to determine if there has been a waiver of various constitutional rights (such as the right to counsel) in criminal cases.