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
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 May 2026
When developing new menu items, the team waits 45 minutes before tasting them to mimic realistic delivery times.
—Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Apr. 2026
In our districts in suburban Cook County, a single adult waits an average of 117 days to get emergency shelter.
—Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Weekday lunch waits these days seem to average about 45 minutes.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
After Hancock waits an hour or so for the drone to descend, the moment arrives and the drone plops Hancock’s syrup directly onto the concrete, which isn’t a good sign.
—Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 16 Apr. 2026
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
Hypnotized by the American Dream, Luke struggles to recognize the futility of a system that moves fast and waits for no one.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2024
Jeffrey Freedman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
When families flocked to Yosemite National Park during their recent spring breaks, some met two-hour waits at the entrance gates.
—Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Trends have been bucked, decades-long waits have been ended.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The video shows the car pull into a gas station, where one man gets out and goes inside, while the other waits to pump gas.
—Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Here are five players who could end up being taken later than the consensus suggests and seven college football standouts who could face long waits.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Columbines are perfect for gardeners seeking quick, stunning blooms without long waits.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 22 Apr. 2026
As data center developers face long waits for connections to traditional utilities, and amid mounting public resistance to the possibility of higher energy bills, making their own power is becoming an increasingly popular option.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 22 Apr. 2026
Transit experts say long waits and congestion stem from inconsistent service.
—Yaelis Pena, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 May 2026
When developing new menu items, the team waits 45 minutes before tasting them to mimic realistic delivery times.
—Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Apr. 2026
In our districts in suburban Cook County, a single adult waits an average of 117 days to get emergency shelter.
—Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Weekday lunch waits these days seem to average about 45 minutes.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
After Hancock waits an hour or so for the drone to descend, the moment arrives and the drone plops Hancock’s syrup directly onto the concrete, which isn’t a good sign.
—Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 16 Apr. 2026
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
Hypnotized by the American Dream, Luke struggles to recognize the futility of a system that moves fast and waits for no one.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
Insurance coverage for mental illnesses further complicates the problem of consistent care because the number of visits to mental health professionals are usually limited, and there are often long waits to see providers.
—Jeffrey Freedman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
When families flocked to Yosemite National Park during their recent spring breaks, some met two-hour waits at the entrance gates.
—Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Trends have been bucked, decades-long waits have been ended.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The video shows the car pull into a gas station, where one man gets out and goes inside, while the other waits to pump gas.
—Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Here are five players who could end up being taken later than the consensus suggests and seven college football standouts who could face long waits.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Columbines are perfect for gardeners seeking quick, stunning blooms without long waits.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 22 Apr. 2026
As data center developers face long waits for connections to traditional utilities, and amid mounting public resistance to the possibility of higher energy bills, making their own power is becoming an increasingly popular option.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 22 Apr. 2026
Transit experts say long waits and congestion stem from inconsistent service.
—Yaelis Pena, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waits
Verb
-
Southerly flow begins to return, but moisture remains limited, so North Texas stays dry with mostly sunny skies.—
Nelly Carreño,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
-
What stands out after a few seconds is how steady the robot stays the whole time.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
One challenge the next state controller will face is the effort to modernize the state’s payroll system, which has encountered significant delays and is one of California’s most costly IT projects.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Drivers saw delays throughout the day Friday as streets running parallel to and crossing 19th Avenue also slowed while people looked for alternate routes.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The threat of death always lingers – just ask my wooden stairs.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The Panama Canal is experiencing an uptick in traffic and generating more lucrative bids to transit the trade artery, aligning with a spike in demand for its reservation system as the Iran war lingers and uncertainty persists regarding the safety of the Strait of Hormuz.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Thunder earned a bit of a break and awaits two teams battling injuries in the Lakers and Rockets.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
The bill passed the state Senate on April 15 and awaits a vote in the House.—
Mikayla Bunnell,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Standardized test scores have trended upward since the nadir of the COVID-19 pandemic, recovering faster than the state average, but the pace remains too incremental for critics.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Sources told Variety at the time that Marvel plans to keep a small visual development team, hiring people on a project by project basis, and remains committed to working with visual development artists on its projects.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waits. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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