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wait on. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
wait on, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
wait on in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
wait on you have here. The definition of the word
wait on will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
wait on, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Verb
wait on (third-person singular simple present waits on, present participle waiting on, simple past and past participle waited on)
- To provide a service to (someone); to act as a servant to (someone); to serve (someone) as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant.
- Synonyms: attend to; see also Thesaurus:serve
Is someone waiting on you yet?
c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :How now, Simple! where have you been? I must wait on myself, must I?
1847 October 16, Currer Bell , chapter I, in Jane Eyre. An Autobiography. In Three Volumes.">…], volume II, London: Smith, Elder, and Co., , →OCLC, page 6: for such a large house there are very few servants, because master has never lived here much; and when he does come, being a bachelor, he needs little waiting on:
1942, Zora Neale Hurston, chapter 9, in Dust Tracks on a Road, New York: Arno Press, published 1969, page 171:“Run on, fellow. You can’t get waited on in here.”
“I’ll stay right here until I do. I know my rights. I’ll get waited on all right, or sue the place.”
- (colloquial) To wait for (a person).
I'm waiting on you before we can leave.
1748, , “Letter XXVI”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: , volume VI, London: S Richardson; y Andrew Millar, over-against Catharine-street in the Strand; y J and J Rivington, in St. Paul’s Church-yard; nd by J. Leake, at Bath.">…], →OCLC, page 89:Be pleased to write to me by Rogers; who will wait on you for your answer, at your own time.
- (colloquial) To wait for (a thing, or an event to take place).
I'm waiting on the light to change.
1900 December – 1901 October, Rudyard Kipling, chapter 13, in Kim (Macmillan’s Colonial Library; no. 414), London: Macmillan and Co., published 1901, →OCLC, page 340: with grass mats over their heads and the raindrops puddling in their footprints, waited on the weather.
1952, Daphne Du Maurier, “The Birds”, in Stories of Suspense, New York: Scholastic Book Services, published 1972, page 17:It was as though they waited upon some signal; as though some decision had yet to be given.
- To be in store for (someone).
- Synonym: await
1969, Maya Angelou, chapter 1, in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, New York: Random House, pages 9–10:Their wages wouldn’t even get them out of debt to my grandmother, not to mention the staggering bill that waited on them at the white commissary downtown.
- (archaic) To visit (someone) as a courtesy, on business or for ceremony.
- Synonyms: attend, call on
1749, Henry Fielding, chapter 13, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A Millar, , →OCLC, book VII, page 68:In the Evening our Commander sent a Message to Mr. Jones, that if a Visit would not be troublesome he would wait on him.
1813 January 27, , chapter 6, in Pride and Prejudice: , volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: ">…] for T Egerton, , →OCLC, page 42:The ladies of Longbourn soon waited on those of Netherfield. The visit was returned in due form.
1855, Frederick Douglass, chapter 25, in My Bondage and My Freedom. , New York, Auburn, N.Y.: Miller, Orton & Mulligan , →OCLC, part II (Life as a Freeman), page 399: I went, as my custom was, into one of the best railroad carriages on the road. I was soon waited upon by the conductor, and ordered out;
1937, Robert Byron, The Road to Oxiana, New York: Oxford University Press, published 1982, Part 3, p. 114:Lest should break down, I took a stiff dose of whisky and waited on the Governor early.
- (archaic) To occur as a consequence of (something), to result from (something).
1667, attributed to Richard Allestree, chapter 3, in The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety. , London: R. Norton for T. Garthwait, , →OCLC, page 49:that ruine which waits upon such a supine temper
- (archaic) To carry out or perform (a duty, function, etc.).
- Synonym: attend to
- (falconry, of a hawk) To fly above its master, waiting till game is sprung.
- (colloquial, US, archaic) To court (someone).
- (archaic) To obey and pay attention to (someone); to follow (a leader); to attend to (someone); to be subject to (someone).
Translations
provide a service
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 侍候 (zh) (shìhòu), 服侍 (zh) (fúshi), 侍奉 (zh) (shìfèng), 伺候 (zh) (cìhou)
- Finnish: tarjoilla (fi), palvella (fi)
- Hungarian: kiszolgál (hu), felszolgál (hu)
- Icelandic: þjóna, þjóna til borðs
- Latin: ministrō, appāreō
- Polish: kelnerować impf, obsługiwać (pl) impf, obsłużyć (pl) pf
- Russian: служи́ть (ru) impf (služítʹ), обслужи́ть (ru) pf (obslužítʹ), обслу́живать (ru) impf (obslúživatʹ), прислу́живать (ru) impf (prislúživatʹ)
- Spanish: atender (es)
- Ukrainian: обслуго́вувати impf (obsluhóvuvaty), обслужи́ти pf (obslužýty), служи́ти impf (služýty), прислуговувати impf (prysluhovuvaty)
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wait for a person to do something