waiting game

noun

1. a stratagem in which action on a matter is reserved for or postponed to a later time, allowing one to wait for a more advantageous time to act or to see what develops in the meantime.

waiting game

noun

1. the postponement of action or decision in order to gain the advantage

Word History and Origins

Origin of waiting game¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Idioms and Phrases

see play a waiting game .

Example Sentences

“The anxiety comes from the waiting game. We’ve known for four days that this hurricane is coming. I just want to get through it so I can stop feeling this way.”

From BBC

"As there is no medication you can give for RSV, I felt helpless and it really was a waiting game of whether she would recover," she said.

From BBC

“I think Russia is playing a waiting game and they’ve had the view that the U.S. and our partners are losing the will to support Ukraine over an extended time,” Ms. Yellen said.

From New York Times

Questions like Callow’s echoed through parent circles Thursday as they’ve now entered an uncomfortable waiting game, worried whether their children will have to move schools.

From Seattle Times

Immigrant advocates say CBP One is glitch-prone and reduces the right of asylum to a lottery while forcing migrants into a dangerous waiting game.

From Los Angeles Times