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

There were numerous instances of the administration granting sanctions waivers to countries, particularly those that rely on Iranian oil for their energy needs. — Farnoush Amiri, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

On Friday morning, the Tenth Circuit court granted the NCAA its motion for a 'stay', which puts a pause on athletes using the blanket waiver granted by Judge Sweeney to athletes from the 2022 class that had a year of eligibility left. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026

The number of applicants who qualified for a Common App fee waiver grew by 6% this year, and those from ZIP codes with low median incomes grew by 8%. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026

Council is seeking injunctive relief for a sixth season after his request for a waiver was denied in May. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026

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