WAITING Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

waiting 1 of 2

noun

as in delay

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Dissimilar Words

waiting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of wait

as in staying

to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something please wait here, and we'll seat you shortly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of waiting

Noun

Learning from industries where results take years looks straightforward on paper because the waiting periods of uncertainty are not that easy. — Mark Berookim, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Skyrover and Xtra won't disappear from US stores immediately; the FCC's rules require a 30-day waiting period for public comment. — Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 21 July 2026 After weeks as leader-in-waiting, Burnham officially became prime minister during a meeting with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, where the monarch asked him to form a government. — Jill Lawless, Fortune, 20 July 2026 Declared this year’s champion-in-waiting before the start of the season, the British driver has been comprehensively outdriven by his teenage teammate this year. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 20 July 2026 Then came the development meetings, and more development meetings, and the waiting, waiting, waiting. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2026 If the goal of LeBron James amid his free-agency waiting game was to capture an entire league’s attention, then mission accomplished. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 17 July 2026 His 2025 mysterious vanishing act is now a transaction-in-waiting on the business side, set to follow Jauan Jennings out the door. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 17 July 2026 Some, like neem oil, may require a short waiting period before harvest. — Farima Ferguson, The Spruce, 15 July 2026

Verb

Do not let pasta sit in the sink waiting for the condimento to be ready or for your family and friends to sit down at the table or open a bottle of wine or feed the dog while your pasta sits, dying, in a colander. — Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026 In years when the contract is due to be renewed, the waiting period can get tense as fears that the convention will leave San Diego often surface when organizers demand new concessions from hoteliers and the city. — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2026 Instead of waiting for the teacher to master the task, the Georgia Tech team trained the teacher and student together. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 July 2026 That's right, everybody just keeps waiting for something to give, for some unknown company — from China? — Jim Cramer, Contributor, CNBC, 16 July 2026 Because the seven miles between Texas 114 and Old Justin Road don’t have frontage roads, when a car crash happens, drivers are stuck waiting until the collision gets cleared. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026 Riley, like the rest of the basketball world, is still waiting to learn what James’ next move will be. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026 When major disasters strike, Americans are routinely waiting weeks — or even months — to receive presidential approval for aid. — David A. Lieb, Fortune, 16 July 2026 Golden State, like the rest of the NBA, is waiting to see where James lands for his 24th season while turning 42 in December. — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waiting

Noun

That delay is reportedly due to the model’s coding capabilities, in particular, were short of internal expectations.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 17 July 2026
Odysseus even implies that his delay in getting home might have as much to do with a guilty conscience as with intervening gods or the enchanting sorceress named Calypso.

— Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Definition of delay

Verb

Sheikh Hamad used gas revenue to give a set of actors who distrust one another a direct stake in Qatar staying open and useful.

— Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
So far, Antonelli seems to be staying focused, even as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton threaten Mercedes' supremacy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026

Definition of staying

Noun

Overthinking and procrastination are two of the habits people confess to most readily and blame on themselves most harshly, and two of the habits most often misread.

— Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
But those days of procrastination are coming to an end, and some lawmakers are facing up to that reality.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 28 June 2026

Definition of procrastination

Verb

Nick Reiner has pleaded not guilty to his parents’ murder and is currently awaiting trial.

— Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 20 July 2026
Quentin Hale, who was very good as a sophomore and junior at Cathedral, has moved over to Corona Centennial and looks confident with his USC scholarship awaiting him.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of awaiting

Noun

Trust reduces hesitation, especially when people are comparing options fast and looking for a reason to stay.

— Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Rather, congressional hesitation on what would be the largest election reform in decades reflects an awareness of constituent needs and lawmakers’ own reelection risks.

— SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, The Conversation, 17 July 2026

Definition of hesitation

Noun

And Anne Hathaway, in a bravura performance, situates Penelope on an emotional precipice, caught between indecision and indignation, between yearning for her husband and a palpable disgust with the alternatives.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Changing an opinion without evidence may be indecision, but changing it because the facts, valuation, or probability of success have shifted is discipline.

— Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026

Definition of indecision

Cite this Entry

Style

“Waiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waiting. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of waiting

noun

verb

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