[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/wait.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / wait [← W](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/W/) # wait «wait» in Mova's school dictionary: **to stay where you are, or not do something, until…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it. ### part of speech verb (wait, waits, waited, waiting); noun (a wait) ### meaning for a pupil 1) To wait means to stay where you are, or not do something, until something happens or someone comes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#m1) 2) A wait is the time you stay. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#m2) 3) «Wait for it», «can't wait» mean someone is excited about something coming soon. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#m3) 4) To wait on people is to serve them food, as in a restaurant. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#m4) 5) (casual) «Wait, what?» shows surprise; «wait up» means wait for me to catch up; «hang on», «hold on» and «hold your horses» mean wait. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#m5) 6) (casual) «No wait» or «wait no» starts a self-correction: «she had 5 — no wait, 6.» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#m6) 7) (rough) «You wait!» or «just you wait» is a threat of trouble later. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#m7) 8) (formal) «Await», «remain pending» and «a period of waiting» are stiff words: «Passengers awaited the service for 15 minutes.» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#m8) ### sense in the lessons In school maths: elapsed time; waiting in line; how long someone waited from one clock time to another; waiting times added in all. In everyday life: waiting for the bus, in a queue, for your turn, at the doctor's. In casual talk «wait» often marks that the speaker is correcting a number — the last number counts. In the exam voice: «the interval during which passengers awaited the service». Phrases: «wait for», «wait your turn», «can't wait», «wait a minute», «a long wait», «waiting room», «wait and see». ### examples - They waited 15 minutes for the bus. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x1) - She waited from 2:00 to 2:45. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x2) - 12 people are waiting in line. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x3) - How long did he wait in all? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x4) - Please wait your turn. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x5) - I can't wait for the summer holidays! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x6) - Wait a minute, I left my bag on the bench. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x7) - There was a long wait at the doctor's. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x8) - 12 kids, wait no, 13 with me (casual, self-correction) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x9) - wait up!! my shoelace (casual) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x10) - Touch my bike again and you wait, mate. (rough) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x11) - Passengers awaited the service from 14:00 until 14:45; ascertain the duration of the wait. (formal exam) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x12) - He waited one hour, two hours. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/#x13) ### note «Wait for the bus», not «wait the bus». Do not confuse with «weight» (how heavy) — they sound the same. «Await» is a formal word with no «for». Maths: asks for a length of time; between two clock times subtract (end − start); waiting times of several parts are added. Trap: after «wait» or «no wait» in a sentence, the corrected (last) number is the real one. Safety: wait for the green man before you cross the road. ### In the corpora - [On a motorway, after a breakdown everyone gets out and waits behind the barrier, away from the traffic.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/12-cars-chores-and-the-shopping-list/8/) - [Many parents wait about three months before telling people, because the early weeks are the most uncertain.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/18-were-having-a-baby/2/) - [Doctors have more patients than time, so getting an appointment can mean ringing early or waiting weeks.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/20-the-doctor-and-the-chemist/1/) - [A waiting list is a queue for a non-urgent operation, and in the NHS the wait can be months.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/20-the-doctor-and-the-chemist/11/) - [Waiting is a big part of hospitals: waiting to be seen, waiting for results, waiting for visiting hours.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/21-hospitals-operations-and-serious-illness/4/) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every meaning and example of «wait» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wait/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.