waive

verb

ˈwāv 

waived; waiving

transitive verb

1

a

: to relinquish (something, such as a legal right) voluntarily

waive a jury trial

b

: to refrain from pressing or enforcing (something, such as a claim or rule) : forgo

waive the fee

2

: to put off from immediate consideration : postpone

3

[influenced by wave entry 1] : to dismiss with or as if with a wave of the hand

waived the problem aside

4

: to place (a ball player) on waivers

also : to release after placing on waivers

5

: to throw away (stolen goods)

6

archaic : give up, forsake

7

archaic : to shunt aside (a danger or duty) : evade

Choose the Right Synonym for waive

relinquish, yield, resign, surrender, abandon, waive mean to give up completely.

relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.

relinquished her crown

yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.

the troops yielded ground grudgingly

resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.

resigned her position

surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.

surrendered their claims

abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.

abandoned all hope

waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.

waived the right to a trial by jury

Examples of waive in a Sentence

She waived her right to a lawyer.

The university waives the application fee for low-income students.

Recent Examples on the Web

That ruling led Williams to testify in his own defense, waiving his Fifth Amendment right and opening the door to introduce Franois’s statements in court. —Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2026

Trump has waived strict shipping rules under the Jones Act for 60 days. —Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026

The Bulls did not elaborate, but the announcement that Ivey would be waived came soon after one of his videos on Instagram Live . —Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026

But on Monday, the team waived Jaden Ivey — who had spent a total of only 115 minutes on a basketball court in a Bulls jersey — after the guard went on a series of religious rants on his social media, including a bigoted diatribe against the NBA’s practice of hosting LGBTQ+ pride nights. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English weiven to decline, reject, give up, from Anglo-French waiver, gaiver, from waif lost, stray — more at waif

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6

Rhymes for waive

• brave
• cave
• clave
• crave
• fave
• gave
• grave
• knave
• lave
• nave
• pave
• rave

Kids Definition

waive

verb

ˈwāv 

waived; waiving

1

: to give up claim to

waived her right to answer

2

: to let pass

waive the fee

3

: to dismiss with or as if with a wave of the hand

waived the problem aside

Legal Definition

waive

transitive verb

ˈwāv 

waived; waiving

1

: to relinquish (as a right or privilege) voluntarily and intentionally

the defendant waived a felony hearing on the charge

—National Law Journal

compare forfeit, reserve

2

: to refrain from enforcing or requiring

some statutes waive the age requirement

—W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.

waivable adjective

Etymology

Anglo-French waiver, weiver, literally to abandon, forsake, from waif, weif forlorn, stray, probably from Old Norse veif something loose or flapping