Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
⏳ To stay until ⏳ A delay 🍽️ To serve food
to wait

to wait

274 4.0
To serve food and drinks to people in a restaurant
  • verb
  • /weɪt/
translation icon : atender
  • For a number of years while I waited on tables and served drinks,
  • wait tables

I get waited on all the time.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • I'm just saying, thank God I'm not still waiting on tables.

    Last Chance Charlene (2022)

  • I'm waiting on you, Andrew.

    Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

  • I get waited on all the time.

    Lex Fridman

  • "The best day job I ever had was waiting tables in San Francisco," Wilhelm says.

    Academic text (2011)

  • In their cabin deluxe they were welcomed and waited upon.

    The Gold Rush (1925)

  • Acknowledging her silent instructions, Dunhill waited on another table, ignoring the Lexington's security chief.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • During college, I waited tables at a busy restaurant to earn extra money.

  • After finishing school, she decided to wait tables at the local diner.

  • He enjoyed waiting on customers at the café and often received compliments on his service.

Synonyms

to serve
vsto wait
869 1.0

To give food or drink to someone, usually during a meal

is specific to restaurant staff performing table duties rather than general offering
to wait on
vsto wait
20 3.4

To serve people at a table by bringing food or drinks

is the full restaurant job of attending customers not only single deliveries

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

neglect
100 3.5

Not caring for someone or something that needs care

Idioms

to wait in the wings
11 5.8

To be ready to take a job or role when a chance comes

wait for it
  • Informal
6 7.0

Tell people to wait because something exciting will be revealed

lying in wait
  • NSFW
2 8.0

Hiding and waiting to attack someone by surprise

to wait on hand and foot
1 7.4

To do everything for someone and meet all their needs

to hurry up and wait
  • Informal
1 8.4

To act quickly and then wait for something to happen

to wait for one's ship to come in
  • Informal
1 8.4

To hope to get rich without doing anything

to wait for the ball to drop
  • Informal
7.6

Delay acting until an important event happens

to wait until the dust settles
  • Informal
6.0

To delay action or decisions until things become clearer

Phrasal Verbs

to wait up
  • Informal
170 3.6

Stay awake at home until someone comes

to wait on
  • US
83 3.9

To delay doing something until someone answers or a situation changes

to wait around
  • Informal
71 2.5

To spend time doing nothing while waiting for someone or something

to wait out
42 4.3

Stay where you are until bad weather or danger passes

to wait on
20 3.4

To serve people at a table by bringing food or drinks

to wait your turn
17 2.0

Be patient and let others go before you until it is your turn

to lie in wait
8 6.8

To hide and wait to attack someone by surprise

to wait until marriage
  • NSFW
2 5.6

Not have sex until after you and your partner are married

How Attentive

to wait on
20 3.4
to wait
274 4.0
to serve
869 1.0
to bus
  • US
3 7.0

Surface Forms

wait infinitive
waited past
waited past participle
waiting present participle
waits third person singular

Etymology

Wait in the sense of serving comes from the phrase 'wait on', which meant to stand near and help someone. A helpful way to remember this is that to wait on people is to 'attend' them, so to wait tables is to serve food and drinks.