WAITING Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

waiting 1 of 2

noun

as in delay

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Dissimilar Words

waiting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of wait

as in staying

to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something please wait here, and we'll seat you shortly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of waiting

Noun

Up to 20% of rounds are stopped before eggs are ever retrieved, which means more waiting and starting over. — Katherine Pukinskis, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026 That’s a very long, anxious waiting period and is inevitable due to a lack of experts to conduct and interpret test results. — Torie Bosch, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026 But for audiences outside North America, catching Nathan Fielder’s three-hour documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes — now expected to be a major player in awards season — has become a frustrating waiting game. — Alex Ritman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026 When rents are not allowed to rise to market rates, apartments are rationed through waiting, connections, lotteries and luck. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026 No stopping, no struggling to find a charging station, no waiting. — New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2026 If deleting your account takes an email to support, a waiting period and a follow-up, that friction is a design choice. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 After months of waiting, Nvidia's RTX Spark has officially landed. — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026 After several years of waiting, Ahn and Choi made a proof-of-concept video to help attract new financing. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026

Verb

The matter was highly contentious in the community, with residents arriving at Inkster City Hall 90 minutes before the council meeting began and waiting outside to speak during public comment. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 After so much talk leading up to and coming out of the game in Melbourne, Australia, about the Los Angeles Rams waiting until late to fly there — and lost 27-7 to San Francisco — the NFL does not appear close to dictating when teams must travel. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 With more than seven million people packed into over 9,000 high-rises, efficiency is key here, and people will judge you for holding up lines, hesitating with your Octopus card, or lingering over your dim sum table while others are waiting. — Lee Cobaj, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026 But the school was so small that hundreds more kids waiting outside couldn’t get in, Jalbout said. — Edith M. Lederer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 Depending on the size and style needed, customers can sometimes find one and leave with it within a few hours instead of waiting for an order to arrive. — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2026 To support Constant’s production, Shopkorn approaches their relationship in a more old-school model, sending her money as a stipend instead of waiting for a sale to go through and split it 50-50 as is now the norm. — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026 Organizations that understand this aren’t waiting for adoption to bubble up from the bottom. — Ryoji Sekido, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 Outside, a throng of revelers were waiting to navigate the same journey as Williams, McRae, and their respective entourages. — Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 13 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waiting

Noun

By contrast, recent restrictions or delays suggest a greater emphasis on managing relations with Beijing and avoiding unnecessary escalation.

— Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
The delay raises a broader question about A24’s international release strategy at a time when social media can turn a film into a global cultural event overnight.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of delay

Noun

To help banish the endless procrastination, National Geographic’s 2027 list of 25 must-visit destinations for the year ahead is one of its most timely and experience-driven recommendations yet.

— Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
But it should be based on tax projections, not procrastination or faith in the retirement account fairy.

— Ronald Stair, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of procrastination

Verb

According to PitchBook, there have been 504 defense PE deals but just 101 exits since 2021, although the comparison includes add-on acquisitions and therefore does not directly measure the proportion of investments awaiting an exit.

— Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
CharlotteFive has reached out to the chain for an update and is awaiting a response.

— Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of awaiting

Noun

After some hesitation, the co-anchor finally placed his crown on his head.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
The slowdown in investment was put down to government hesitation over changes to Italy’s domestic tax incentive for TV shows and films.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of hesitation

Verb

Mostly hidden from our daily view, the machinery for making white meat—a chemical and metabolic system of planetary scope—will be a lingering trace of human presence in the annals of Earth history.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
By Saturday morning, lingering snow is likely at high elevations in Yosemite National Park and near Mammoth Mountain.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of lingering

Noun

In other words, this is a call to trade comfortable indecision (Libra) for a serious plan of action (Capricorn).

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2026
After days of indecision, NASCAR disciplined seven people who participated in the attack on young racing star Corey Heim in front of a concession stand at Martinsville Speedway shortly after the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 on Saturday.

— Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of indecision

Verb

The American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative group of state legislators and private-sector members, cast it as part of a growing bipartisan movement and urged the remaining states to follow.

— Lara Murray-Sterzel, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Capital One management said that headwind would roughly offset the remaining Discover synergies.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026