Synonyms of waiting

waiting 1 of 2

noun

as in delay

Related Words

• delay
• procrastination
• hesitation
• indecision
• hawing
• wavering
• pause
• faltering
• wobbling
• vacillation
• second thought
• doubt
• uncertainty
• irresolution
• hesitancy
• consideration
• hesitance
• fence-sitting
• arrière-pensée
• indecisiveness
• shilly-shallying
• incertitude
• deliberation
• reluctance
• indetermination
• shilly-shally
• debate
• misgiving
• unwillingness
• avoidance
• uncertainness
• indisposition
• equivocation
• timidity
• disinclination
• faintheartedness
• aversion
• shyness
• timidness

Dissimilar Words

• determination
• resolution
• certainty
• confidence
• firmness
• certitude
• readiness
• eagerness
• decisiveness
• sureness
• alacrity
• resoluteness

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

• staying
• awaiting
• lingering
• remaining
• biding
• holding on
• sitting tight
• biding one's time
• holding one's breath
• expecting
• cooling one's heels
• hanging around
• sticking around
• anticipating
• tarrying
• standing by
• watching (for)

Example Sentences

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

The prospect of attending a raucous three-day party on South Beach comes as disappointing news to Joe’s girlfriend Jennifer (Teyana Taylor), who’s waiting for her own proposal. — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 24 July 2026

The wider festival celebrated speed, engineering and extraordinary cars, while Future Lab looked at what might be waiting around the next bend. — Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026

Two men once picked up Chaudhary and a friend and drove them against their will to a hostel an hour away, where more than a dozen other men were waiting. — ABC News, 23 July 2026

For Robinhood* customers who have been waiting to get their hands on the company's premium Robinhood Platinum Card, the wait is (potentially) over — the first official sign-up offers are being sent out this week. — Ryley Amond, CNBC, 23 July 2026

If a trek to Machu Picchu or Everest Base Camp is on your list, waiting until spring to plan is already too late. — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 23 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

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