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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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
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Recent Examples of waits
Daniel Kearney, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2025
More than a thousand miles away in New Delhi, Mohammad waits for his daughter, powerless to save her for a second time from the horrors faced by their community in Myanmar.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
Charlotte now waits to see if the playoff berth is official.
—Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 14 Sep. 2025
Thinking of his estranged teenage son and terminally ill mother, McKay waits and waits before answering the call.
—Andy Hazel, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
The world waits for a compelling example of humanoid robots saving a customer money in a defensible way.
—Jeff Mahler, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Compiled annually by a group led by Franklin Leonard, a recipient of a Gotham tribute award this year, Variety waits with childlike anticipation each year to see which scripts film executives have really been buzzing over — but haven’t had the budget or the chutzpah to put into production just yet.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 10 Dec. 2024
The catching situation remains in flux as the club waits to see how Hunter Goodman and Drew Romo develop.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2024
Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
The bus service’s long waits also caused crowding and loitering in the area, spokeswoman Pauline Haberman said at the time.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
Approximately 40% of families report being stuck on childcare waitlists, with average waits stretching to six months.
—Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Each year, tens of thousands of people must leave the desert via a two-lane road, often producing multi-hour waits.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Admission will include access (and shorter waits) for Volcano Bay’s slides, body plunges, lazy river and the Krakatau Aqua Coaster that winds through the park and its centerpiece volcano structure.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025
Large power transformers now face lead times ranging from 80 to 210 weeks, with some utilities confronting nearly four-year waits.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 13 Aug. 2025
There was never a shortage of food, or long waits to get your meal.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2025
Today, Joe’s draws Disney World-level crowds and hour-long waits.
—Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
Unlike traditional applications requiring instant responses, AI operations can tolerate delays—training waits minutes while applications like ChatGPT work perfectly, delivering responses over hundreds of milliseconds.
—Daniel Kearney, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2025
More than a thousand miles away in New Delhi, Mohammad waits for his daughter, powerless to save her for a second time from the horrors faced by their community in Myanmar.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
Charlotte now waits to see if the playoff berth is official.
—Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 14 Sep. 2025
Thinking of his estranged teenage son and terminally ill mother, McKay waits and waits before answering the call.
—Andy Hazel, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
The world waits for a compelling example of humanoid robots saving a customer money in a defensible way.
—Jeff Mahler, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Compiled annually by a group led by Franklin Leonard, a recipient of a Gotham tribute award this year, Variety waits with childlike anticipation each year to see which scripts film executives have really been buzzing over — but haven’t had the budget or the chutzpah to put into production just yet.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 10 Dec. 2024
The catching situation remains in flux as the club waits to see how Hunter Goodman and Drew Romo develop.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2024
Noun
One pack moves several miles down the road while the pack behind it sits and waits.
—Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
The bus service’s long waits also caused crowding and loitering in the area, spokeswoman Pauline Haberman said at the time.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
Approximately 40% of families report being stuck on childcare waitlists, with average waits stretching to six months.
—Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Each year, tens of thousands of people must leave the desert via a two-lane road, often producing multi-hour waits.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Admission will include access (and shorter waits) for Volcano Bay’s slides, body plunges, lazy river and the Krakatau Aqua Coaster that winds through the park and its centerpiece volcano structure.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025
Large power transformers now face lead times ranging from 80 to 210 weeks, with some utilities confronting nearly four-year waits.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 13 Aug. 2025
There was never a shortage of food, or long waits to get your meal.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2025
Today, Joe’s draws Disney World-level crowds and hour-long waits.
—Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waits
Verb
-
And, as befits this lively city, the bar stays open until 4 AM.—
Laurie Werner,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Rice starch still sops up oil and beefs up strands, but with an even airier spray that stays invisible and smells softly fruity and floral.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Frontier and American Airlines each had nine delays.—
Marco Cummings,
Denver Post,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Acquiring the rest of the footage outside of Ice Cube’s scenes also contributed to the delays.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Finally, a dash of cranberry bitters snaps everything into focus, leaving a tart, ruby-toned finish that lingers just long enough to invite another sip.—
Aly Walansky,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Yet Harris lingers near the top of the 2028 Democratic presidential contenders in most polling because the party lacks viable alternatives with comparable name identification.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And as Brown’s book races toward its elaborate climax, his (and Langdon’s) breathless effusions about the neuro-technological progress that awaits us sound jarringly out of sync with the anxious, doomy present.—
Book Marks
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
As Warren tries to build on his promising debut, a stouter opponent likely awaits.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Frontier, American are the perennial problem children Frontier Airlines remains stuck at the bottom for the third straight year.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
With the crack of a single rifle shot, that dream remains in doubt.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waits. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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