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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Most meetings run on the host’s agenda while the client waits to be heard. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 31 July 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 Nick excitedly waits for him at the train station, and takes him to meet his new friends. — Barry Levitt, Time, 17 July 2026 With a catheter inserted into a vein, intravenous tubing fitted and a syringe pump loaded and primed, the subject waits as the bed retracts until his brain is centered within the great coils of an MRI machine calibrated to map altered brain states. — Charles Moss, SPIN, 16 July 2026 Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 15 July 2026 On the walls, a few pots hang from a copper rod, a dinner bell waits to be jingled, and an ancient clock keeps time. — Elazar Sontag, Washington Post, 2 July 2026 The average person waits nine years after a diagnosis before doing anything about it, even as research ties untreated hearing loss to depression, isolation, falls and higher dementia risk. — Allison Palmer july 1, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026

Noun

Favorite examples include installing mirrors in elevators and enticing customers to tolerate waits with the promise of free goods or services. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 31 July 2026 There's often a line forming at Tony's even before opening, with waits for a table typically lasting at least an hour. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026 The open question is whether cyber safety engineering follows the historical pattern and waits for a disaster, or whether the profession moves first. — Heather Wishart-Smith, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 During longer waits for a table—more than 2 hours on some weekends—visitors are encouraged to walk around the property, which is lined with hiking trails and dotted with interpretive displays on the Winnebago people. — Jess Hoffert, Midwest Living, 26 July 2026 Families should be able to access testing and diagnosis without months-long waits or insurance barriers. — Eliza Goldwasser, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026 In the meantime, a fanbase waits and worries, wondering whether the business of basketball will lead to no NBA basketball in Portland in 2031. — Jason Quick, New York Times, 20 July 2026 Earlier this year, long elevator waits meant many collectors reached the upper floors well after the VIP opening began, leaving some exhibitors with a slower start than those surrounding the pool. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 July 2026 Neither has the patient whose breast cancer demands a coordinated team of surgical, radiation, and medical oncologists but waits months before that team assembles. — Christopher P. Childers, STAT, 10 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waits

Verb

There are a few different options for how fast the gimbal moves, and for locking the roll and tilt axes (so the picture stays level even if the handle isn’t).

— Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 30 July 2026
Notably, that recognition from the top is the component most often missing; acknowledgment tends to come from direct supervisors and peers, while the executive level stays silent.

— Mena Mirhom, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of stays

Noun

Despite existing plans to acquire South Korean Cheongung-II systems and French Rafale jets, these efforts face significant delays due to unpaid installments and financial constraints.

— Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Folsom’s order keeping the grace period in effect concluded that plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their constitutional challenge of the law because arbitrarily disenfranchise voters due to mail delays beyond their control.

— Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026

Definition of delays

Verb

Smoke lingers over the charred ground as flames burn through the brush while Spokane Valley Fire Department crews respond to the Autumn Lane Fire on Monday.

— Amanda Jackson, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
High temps have peaked, but heat still lingers The heat wave this weekend was due to an intense heat dome — a mass of high pressure all the way through the higher altitudes of the atmosphere — peaking over Southern California.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of lingers

Verb

Skubal was the reigning two-time Cy Young winner trying to hold things together in his final months before free agency, where a record contract likely awaits him.

— Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
When the siblings finally arrive, the bitter, suffocating reality that awaits them proves far harsher than Lucila had imagined.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026