wait on

British  

verb

1. to serve at the table of

2. to act as an attendant or servant to

3. archaic to visit

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interjection

1. stop! hold on!

wait on Idioms  

1. Also, wait upon . Serve, minister to, especially for personal needs or in a store or restaurant. For example, Guests at the Inn should not expect to be waited on—they can make their own beds and get their own breakfast . [Early 1500s]

2. Make a formal call on, as in They waited on the ambassador . [c. 1500]

3. Also, wait upon . Await, remain in readiness for, as in We're waiting on their decision to close the school . This usage, a synonym of wait for , dates from the late 1600s but in the mid-1800s began to be criticized by many authorities. However, by the late 1900s it had come into increasingly wider use and is again largely accepted.

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Example Sentences

“I will not wait on events while dangers gather,” he declared to Congress, laying the groundwork for preemptive action.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

Discovery, but increased content investments and competition mean investors should wait on the sidelines for now, says a Wells Fargo analyst.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Another reason not to wait on booking: If travel demand drops, airlines might choose to scrap itineraries rather than fly mostly empty planes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

But a tougher test lies in wait on Thursday, when Mouat and his boys face Sweden - who beat them in the 2022 final - at 13:05 GMT live on the BBC.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

The suspects weren’t there, so Dudley and his partner decided to wait on the porch.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann