await

verb

ə-ˈwāt 

awaited; awaiting; awaits

transitive verb

1

a

: to wait for

We are awaiting his arrival.

await a decision

b

: to remain in abeyance until

a treaty awaiting ratification

2

: to be in store for

He wonders what awaits him next.

3

obsolete : to lie in wait for

intransitive verb

1

: to stay or be in waiting : wait

The nation awaited as Congress debated the issue.

2

: to be in store

… marched … north to civilization where fame and fortune awaited.

—Tom Marvel

3

obsolete : attend

Synonyms

• anticipate
• expect
• hope (for)
• watch (for)

Examples of await in a Sentence

A crowd of people awaited the train.

We're eagerly awaiting his arrival.

He was arrested and is now in prison awaiting trial.

Her long-awaited new novel is finally being published.

The same fate awaits us all.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 and are awaiting to see the winners of the Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets series. —Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 3 May 2025

Investors await more details when Take-Two reports its fourth-quarter earnings on May 15. —Reuters, CNN Money, 2 May 2025

Glory awaits: The Avalanche pummeled the Stars, 7-4, thanks to four third-period goals, two of those coming in the game’s last two minutes. —Chris Branch, New York Times, 2 May 2025

Last month, Powell pointed to solid economic performance as reason to take a patient approach as policymakers await the impact of tariffs. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 2 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French aweiter, aguaiter, from a- (from Latin ad-) + guaiter to watch — more at wait

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Rhymes for await

• abate
• airfreight
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate
• castrate

Kids Definition

await

verb

ə-ˈwāt 

1

: to wait for : expect

await a train

2

: to be ready or waiting for

a reward awaits you