waiver

noun

waiv·​er ˈwā-vər 

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

Synonyms of waiver

• exemption
• release

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

In Missouri, the Kansas City Council approved an ordinance Thursday to prohibit drivers from making right turns on red lights in school zones during school zone hours, requiring signs at intersections and allowing schools to request waivers if pick-up and drop-off is disrupted by the rule change. —Pj Green november 11, Kansas City Star, 11 Nov. 2025

Consider this a primary tool for assessing waivers and trades. —Michael Salfino, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025

Major carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, have waivers in place related to the flight reduction. —Nathan Diller, USA Today, 9 Nov. 2025

Phins up 7-0 JuJu Brents starts at CB The mystery about who will start opposite Jack Jones as Rasul Douglas’ replacement ended during announcements as JuJu Brents, the cornerback Miami claimed off the waiver wire after he was released by the Indianapolis Colts, was announced as a starter. —Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Anglo-French weyver, from waiver, verb

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for waiver

• aver
• braver
• craver
• favor
• favour
• flavor
• flavour
• graver
• paver
• quaver
• raver
• saver

Kids Definition

waiver

noun

waiv·​er ˈwā-vər 

1

: the act of intentionally giving up a right, claim, or privilege

2

: a document containing a declaration of a waiver

Legal Definition

waiver

noun

waiv·​er ˈwā-vər 

: 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.

Etymology

Anglo-French, from waiver to waive