as in delay
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as in staying
to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something
please wait here, and we'll seat you shortly
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Recent Examples of waiting
Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
At the southeast corner of the intersection, next to the home that was hit, the city plans to extend the sidewalk by 8 feet using concrete to create a larger waiting area for bus riders.
—Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 20 May 2026
But the free Deluxe content sweetens the standard pre-order enough that waiting offers no real advantage.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
During his stay in the city, Styles is also inviting his followers to two different pop-up store experiences — both with hours-long waiting lines.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
The deal is subject to approval by shareholders of both companies, termination of the waiting period under federal law, approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
—Jim Turner, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
The cell phone waiting area at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has a board that tells people when flights are arriving.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 May 2026
The statutory clock continues to run, and waiting can mean losing the refund entirely.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 17 May 2026
Disberry's plan had a 14-day waiting period between an address change and any distribution.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
Michael Schneider, Variety, 15 May 2026
The Sun forms a cazimi with Mercury in Taurus in your 12th House of Reflection, illuminating private thoughts, old patterns, and instincts that have been waiting underneath the noise.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026
Fifty-Two Years Thierry Tubajika is sitting at breakfast at the JW Marriott, waiting for his father on the morning of the match that will decide everything.
—Franklin Leonard, Vanity Fair, 14 May 2026
Chinese companies are reportedly waiting to buy because of political uncertainty and pressure from Beijing to rely less on foreign semiconductor technology.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
Before the sun even rose, cars began lining up along Baldwin Park Boulevard, where drivers sat waiting patiently for their chance at free groceries when the distribution event began several hours later.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Every day, 20 people die waiting for a kidney transplant.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
The passengers were taken to Melbourne Orlando International Airport, where emergency medical personnel were waiting for them.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 14 May 2026
As of Wednesday, Jardon-Reyes has been waiting 169 days for his renewal to go through.
—Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
Noun
On the morning of April 8th, there was reason to believe that the waiting might end.
—Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
At the southeast corner of the intersection, next to the home that was hit, the city plans to extend the sidewalk by 8 feet using concrete to create a larger waiting area for bus riders.
—Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 20 May 2026
But the free Deluxe content sweetens the standard pre-order enough that waiting offers no real advantage.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
During his stay in the city, Styles is also inviting his followers to two different pop-up store experiences — both with hours-long waiting lines.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
The deal is subject to approval by shareholders of both companies, termination of the waiting period under federal law, approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
—Jim Turner, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
The cell phone waiting area at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has a board that tells people when flights are arriving.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 May 2026
The statutory clock continues to run, and waiting can mean losing the refund entirely.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 17 May 2026
Disberry's plan had a 14-day waiting period between an address change and any distribution.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
Verb
And across all networks, just six new shows bow in the fall — with most waiting for post-football homes.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 15 May 2026
The Sun forms a cazimi with Mercury in Taurus in your 12th House of Reflection, illuminating private thoughts, old patterns, and instincts that have been waiting underneath the noise.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026
Fifty-Two Years Thierry Tubajika is sitting at breakfast at the JW Marriott, waiting for his father on the morning of the match that will decide everything.
—Franklin Leonard, Vanity Fair, 14 May 2026
Chinese companies are reportedly waiting to buy because of political uncertainty and pressure from Beijing to rely less on foreign semiconductor technology.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
Before the sun even rose, cars began lining up along Baldwin Park Boulevard, where drivers sat waiting patiently for their chance at free groceries when the distribution event began several hours later.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Every day, 20 people die waiting for a kidney transplant.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
The passengers were taken to Melbourne Orlando International Airport, where emergency medical personnel were waiting for them.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 14 May 2026
As of Wednesday, Jardon-Reyes has been waiting 169 days for his renewal to go through.
—Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waiting
Noun
-
The delays in filling housing through the city’s lottery have knock-on effects beyond the apartments not going quickly to the people who need them.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
Consumers can track a package or rideshare driver in real time, yet hospitals still struggle to reliably exchange imaging studies, authorization records and clinical documentation without delays, duplication or manual intervention.—
Demetri Giannikopoulos,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Clarke is a freelancer staying afloat in the gig economy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
The film is simultaneously unadorned and deeply oppressive, staying close to the historical record (while fictionalizing the circumstances of Moulin’s eventual death, or martyrdom) in a fashion that offers little perspective, beyond a humanist call-to-arms and appeal toward remembrance.—
David Katz,
IndieWire,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
The sports ticket market generally doesn’t reward procrastination but this one might.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2026
-
After battling burnout, persistent procrastination or social weariness for years, professionals are beginning to wonder if laziness was ever the cause.—
Malana VanTyler,
Sacbee.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After 29 years, nine execution dates and three last meals, former death row inmate Richard Glossip is out on bond Thursday awaiting retrial after his previous conviction in the murder-for-hire plot of his former boss was overturned by the Supreme Court last year, his attorney told CNN.—
Linh Tran,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
She was recently ruled incompetent to stand trial in her son's murder and is awaiting to be transferred to a state hospital.—
Briauna Brown,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
There can be apathy and hesitation.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
-
For example, during his dominant, 18-point first quarter in the Spurs’ Game 5 win over the Timberwolves, on one play Wembanyama hit a combo of hesitation dribbles into a crossover into a spinning layup over Rudy Gobert.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic nomination for governor on Tuesday, stunning the field by avoiding the runoff her rivals had hoped would expose lingering doubts about her ability to win in November.—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
20 May 2026
-
School closings Several buildings in the Utica Community Schools district, based in Sterling Heights, are closed on Tuesday, May 19, because of lingering power outages.—
Julia Avant,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
And by the time the leader's indecision gets associated with these types of negative outcomes, the leader's reputation is irreparably damaged.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
What The Dark Wizard does differently is grapple with Potter’s impenetrability without being able to resolve it, and consider how that indecision might change our perceptions of his life and his May 2015 death while BASE jumping in Yosemite.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Now there is space for the remaining patients to occupy their seats without the self-conscious drawing-in of arms and legs that comes from sitting too close to a stranger.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
With the semifinals finished, there are four teams remaining in the 2026 NBA Playoffs on the road to the NBA Finals.—
Rudie Obias,
HollywoodReporter,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waiting. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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