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 The waiver also applies to anyone who inherited an IRA and those who turned age 70 1/2 in 2019 and would have needed to take their first taxable withdrawal in 2020. — Tribune News Service, oregonlive, "Think you’ll get a tax break for those work from home expenses? COVID-19 tax questions abound," 20 Feb. 2021 Evers has made extending the waiver a priority; states that waive the waiting period can use federal money to pay the first week of claims. — Todd Richmond, Star Tribune, "Wisconsin GOP adds virus provision to unemployment measure," 17 Feb. 2021 However, the waiver wasn’t enough because some of the generators needed to increase production were inoperable because they were frozen. — Bethany Blankley, Washington Examiner, "National Guard, additional state resources deployed to Texas counties to aid with winter storm," 16 Feb. 2021 Apparently, though, the waiver has incentivized the Met. — Los Angeles Times, "Commentary: While the Met contemplates selling its treasured art, rich trustees sit idle," 14 Feb. 2021 Director of Admissions Anthony Ranatza said the waiver is to help those financially struggling with the pandemic. — Staff Report, NOLA.com, "Students excel, colleges reach out," 8 Feb. 2021 The waiver applied to licenses that expired on or after March 13, 2020. — Dave Lieber, Dallas News, "Texas has failed to run an efficient driver’s license program for years. Can somebody get it right?," 4 Feb. 2021 One patient received the waiver shortly after a car accident in which her head hit the windshield. — New York Times, "How Rich Hospitals Profit From Patients in Car Crashes," 1 Feb. 2021 The waiver applied to most drivers licenses that expired on or after March 13, 2020. — Jay R. Jordan, Chron, "Texas ends waiver for expired driver's licenses," 26 Jan. 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

25 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Waiver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waiver. Accessed 25 Feb. 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.

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