waiting area
12
1.8
- noun
- /ˈweɪtɪŋ ˈɛəriə/
:
sala de espera
- There was a vending machine in the waiting area for snacks and drinks.
You know, as we're in the waiting area, I see a little girl.
- You know, as we're in the waiting area, I see a little girl.
- You did a backflip for us in the waiting area outdoors.
- And there was this set of brochures at the front in the waiting area.
- I could have drinks around or with bloggers and I spent all my time in the lounges, spent all my time in the waiting areas.
- OK, now I've got this prisoner out and you put them all in a, a waiting area waiting cell.
- And so every morning we would meet the Proctor, the the instructor for that day down in the in the waiting area, the hotel.
Examples
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Next, he spotted the waiting area with a few men sitting and reading magazines.
Fiction book (1991) -
The waiting area at the hospital was filled with anxious families awaiting news.
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You know, as we're in the waiting area, I see a little girl.
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In the waiting area at the airport.
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The waiting area is around the corner.
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And there were security cameras in the waiting area.
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The doctors will do everything they can, but I need you to go to the waiting area now, please.
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A hallway from the waiting area led to separate rooms for confidential interviews.
Academic text (2009) -
Inside, a long wooden counter separated the waiting area from several desks.
Fiction book (1996) -
Outpatients are received in a spacious two-story, sky-lit waiting area that belies its underground location.
Academic text (1996)
Synonyms
214
2.3
A room in a hotel or airport with comfortable seats to relax
100
1.3
A room in places like a hospital or station where people sit and wait
5
1.4
A part of a room with seats for several people to sit
4
8.2
A small room before a larger room where people wait
1
3.0
A seating area in an airport where passengers wait before boarding their flight
1
2.3
A place with seats for several people
How Comfortable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a designated space with seating where people wait' is directly and predictably composed from 'waiting' (the state of staying) and 'area' (a region or place). This transparent noun + noun/phrase composition is cross-linguistically common (e.g., 'sala de espera', 'salle d'attente') and a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Waiting area combines waiting and area to give a simple picture: a space with chairs where people sit and wait for their turn. That's why it means 'a room or space with seating where people wait'.