WAITS Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

waits 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of wait

as in stays

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

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waits

2 of 2

noun

plural of wait

as in delays

an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business there was a long wait for the manager to come and help us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 waits

Verb

In the film, Jasper dies after Bangley waits until the last minute to pick off some invaders that target Hig and his dog. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026 The venture team owns the company relationship, the infrastructure team waits for scale, and the credit team waits for operating history. — Rob Day, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 The grey area here is how long the referee waits before starting the countdown. — Graham Scott, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 The federal agency normally waits until all of the yearly data is reported to suggest a drop in crime. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 Under a communications blackout, a rover team that waits for its commands from Earth has to stop. — Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026 And then there is a producer fearless enough to cross the minefield, knowing that on the far side waits a festival circuit slightly fatigued by war stories from Ukraine. — Sonya Vseliubska, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026 But long waits to enter the stadium — delays that stemmed from operational failures rather than genuine demand — frustrated the same fans who had willingly queued for tickets weeks earlier. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 31 July 2026 The Albatross sits less than a five-minute walk to the sand, but for guests who don’t feel like carrying their gear, a cute hunter-green buggy waits right out front. — Adam Erace, Travel + Leisure, 30 July 2026

Noun

Another common argument is that single-payer systems are inherently inefficient, as evidenced ostensibly by long waits for treatment suffered by patients in single-payer countries such as Canada. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 The waits have been particularly long in parts of Mississippi and Louisiana, where federal judges have usually taken three months or more to decide whether a detainee should be released. — Carla Astudillo, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026 When institutions cannot underwrite the regulatory environment, capital waits. — Manny Khan, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Others complained that Springfield was not prepared to welcome so many immigrants, who contributed to long waits at clinics and were driving up rental prices. — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026 At Ningbo, Gemini services were waiting an average of four to five days, while non-Gemini vessels were facing waits of three to six days, according to Hapag-Lloyd. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026 Stephen Hunt, chief development officer for VRT, told the council that virtually every rider complaint from long waits at the Senior Center to circuitous routes traced back to a lack of funding rather than mismanagement. — Noah Daly august 20, Idaho Statesman, 20 Aug. 2026 Martinez also warned that longer border waits could hurt commerce and increase pollution from idling vehicles. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026 That does not even include the additional waits associated with security clearances for those who don’t already have them. — Doug Beck, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waits

Verb

Tim Cook stays close to Apple Tim Cook became Apple’s executive chair after John Ternus succeeded him as CEO, with a $2 million annual salary and a $45 million target-value equity award.

— Diane Brady, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
Trailing the 2010s trilogy by long enough that a genuine pandemic happened in the interim, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes stays within the continuity of those movies while introducing new characters and a further-future setting.

— Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of stays

Noun

Flight delays, unexpected crises, intense periods of business development, or simply the weight of responsibility can all disrupt a leader’s sleep.

— Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
However, delays remain a major challenge as shipyards struggle with capacity, materials, and experienced workers.

— Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of delays

Verb

Inside Fort Worth's Cowboy Coliseum, a historic 1908 indoor rodeo venue in the heart of the city's famous Stockyards, the gunpowdery smell of pyrotechnics lingers in the air.

— Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
Sorsby eventually withdrew from college and gave up the fight, but the lawsuit lingers on — triggered by a state court order that had temporarily allowed Sorsby to play despite the NCAA longtime ban of players who gamble.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of lingers

Verb

The opening holes may not immediately reveal what awaits, but that changes quickly as the course turns back on itself and descends into a stunning, secluded valley that eventually opens toward the coastline.

— Jeff Goudy, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The case awaits a hearing by the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

— Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of awaits

Verb

His future remains uncertain with the team currently rostering four QBs.

— Alec Lewis, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
But research that began in the 1990s has shown that something sparked an acceleration of the universe’s expansion about 6 billion years ago, and the cause remains unknown.

— Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026