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 February, the City Council approved $940,000 in development fee waivers for the project’s design review application, an environmental consultant and the city attorney’s work on development agreements, among other things. — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Dennis Smith is the second point guard added by the Heat in recent days, joining Bez Mbeng, who was claimed off waivers from Utah last week. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026

Many airlines issue travel waivers during storms or weather advisories, allowing passengers to rebook their flights without any extra fees if it could be impacted or if it gets delayed or canceled. — Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026

First, D’Angelo Russell, at least for the moment remains with the Grizzlies, although a buyout or a waiver certainly is possible. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 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