wait – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of wait

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to wait for
Participle: waited for
Gerund: waiting for

Cognates

-

Indicative

Present

Iwait for
youwait for
he;she;itwaits for
wewait for
youwait for
theywait for

Perfect

Ihave waited for
youhave waited for
he;she;ithas waited for
wehave waited for
youhave waited for
theyhave waited for

Past

Iwaited for
youwaited for
he;she;itwaited for
wewaited for
youwaited for
theywaited for

Pluperfect

Ihad waited for
youhad waited for
he;she;ithad waited for
wehad waited for
youhad waited for
theyhad waited for

Future

Iwill wait for
youwill wait for
he;she;itwill wait for
wewill wait for
youwill wait for
theywill wait for

Future Perfect

Iwill have waited for
youwill have waited for
he;she;itwill have waited for
wewill have waited for
youwill have waited for
theywill have waited for

Subjunctive

Present

Iwait for
youwait for
he;she;itwait for
wewait for
youwait for
theywait for

Perfect

Ihave waited for
youhave waited for
he;she;ithave waited for
wehave waited for
youhave waited for
theyhave waited for

Imperfect

Iwaited for
youwaited for
he;she;itwaited for
wewaited for
youwaited for
theywaited for

Pluperfect

Ihad waited for
youhad waited for
he;she;ithad waited for
wehad waited for
youhad waited for
theyhad waited for

Conditional

Present

Iwould wait for
youwould wait for
he;she;itwould wait for
wewould wait for
youwould wait for
theywould wait for

Perfect

Iwould have waited for
youwould have waited for
he;she;itwould have waited for
wewould have waited for
youwould have waited for
theywould have waited for

Imperative

youwait for
weLet's wait for
youwait for

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Iam waiting for
youare waiting for
he;she;itis waiting for
weare waiting for
youare waiting for
theyare waiting for

Perfect

Ihave been waiting for
youhave been waiting for
he;she;ithas been waiting for
wehave been waiting for
youhave been waiting for
theyhave been waiting for

Past

Iwas waiting for
youwere waiting for
he;she;itwas waiting for
wewere waiting for
youwere waiting for
theywere waiting for

Pluperfect

Ihad been waiting for
youhad been waiting for
he;she;ithad been waiting for
wehad been waiting for
youhad been waiting for
theyhad been waiting for

Future

Iwill be waiting for
youwill be waiting for
he;she;itwill be waiting for
wewill be waiting for
youwill be waiting for
theywill be waiting for

Future Perfect

Iwill have been waiting for
youwill have been waiting for
he;she;itwill have been waiting for
wewill have been waiting for
youwill have been waiting for
theywill have been waiting for

Conditional

Present

Iwould be waiting for
youwould be waiting for
he;she;itwould be waiting for
wewould be waiting for
youwould be waiting for
theywould be waiting for

Perfect

Iwould have been waiting for
youwould have been waiting for
he;she;itwould have been waiting for
wewould have been waiting for
youwould have been waiting for
theywould have been waiting for

Other

Verbs conjugated like 'wait'

abandon, abduct, abear, aberr, abject, abord, abort, abound, abraid, abray, abrook, abscind, abscond, absist, absorb, abstain, abstract, accend, accent, accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)

Verbs similar to 'wait'

await, bait, gait, lait, nait, waft, wail, wain, wair, waite,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

wait in expectation
abide
rest in patience or expectation
stay
delay until
wait for
attend with ceremony or respect
serve
defer or postpone
procrastinate
to wait
bide
to stay or remain in a place or situation
abide, eld, linger, retard, stay, tarry
To attend on, especially with ceremony or respect.
serve
to delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness
abide, bide, defer, expect, hang on, hold on, hold one's breath, hold one's horses, hold one's water, hold out, stand by, stay
Especially for a suitable opportunity.
bide one's time
To accomplish nothing useful or lack a useful occupation.
twiddle one's thumbs
await
anticipate, expect, abide, delay, linger, remain, tarry, stay
serve
tend, deliver, help

Antonyms

to delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness
act, go it blind, grasp, grasp the nettle, jump at the chance, jump on, jump the gun, shoot first and ask questions later, shoot from the hip

Additional Information

Etymology

1. c.1200, "to watch with hostile intent, lie in wait for," from O.N.Fr. waitier "to watch" (Fr. guetter), from Frank. *wahton (cf. Du. wacht "a watching," O.H.G. wahten, Ger. wachten "to watch, to guard;" O.H.G. wahhon "to watch, be awake," O.E. wacian "to be awake;" see wake (v.)). General sense of "remain in some place" is from 1375; meaning "serve as an attendant at a table" is from 1568. The noun is first attested c.1300. To wait (something) out "endure a period of waiting" is recorded from 1909, originally Amer.Eng., in ref. to baseball batters trying to draw a base on balls. Waiting game is recorded from 1890. Waiting room is attested from 1683. Waiting list is recorded from 1897; the verb wait-list "to put (someone) on a waiting list" is recorded from 1960.
2. From Middle English waiten, from Anglo-Norman waiter, waitier (compare French guetter from Old French gaitier, guaitier), from Frankish *wahtwēn (“to watch, guard”), derivative of Frankish *wahtu (“guard, watch”), from Proto-Germanic *wahtwō (“guard, watch”), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- (“to be fresh, cheerful, awake”).
3. Cognate with Old High German wahtēn (“to watch, guard”), German Low German wachten (“to wait”), Dutch wachten (“to wait, expect”), French guetter (“to watch out for”), Saterland Frisian wachtje (“to wait”), West Frisian wachtsje (“to wait”), North Frisian wachtjen (“to stand, stay put”). More at watch.
4. In some senses, merged or influenced by Middle English waiten, weiten (“to do good to, lie in wait for, to contrive good or harm on, catch, snare”), from Old Norse veita (“to give help to, assist, grant, cause to happen”), from Proto-Germanic *waitijaną (“to show, guide, advise, direct”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see, know”).
5. Largely overtook native Middle English biden, from Old English bīdan, source of bide. See: Middle English 'waiten', French 'guetter', Old French 'gaitier', Dutch 'wachten', French 'guetter', Frisian, Saterlandic 'wachtje', Middle English 'waiten', Proto-Germanic '*waitijaną'.

Verbs referencing "wait"

Tok Pisin wet, English await, French guetter, Tok Pisin wetim, Belize Creole wayt.

Sample Sentences

  • To and fro, to and fro, to and fro again a hundred times! This waiting for the latest mail-bags is worse than all. If we could have gone off in the midst of that last burst, we should have started triumphantly: but to lie here, two hours and more in the damp fog, [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] fog, neither staying at home nor going abroad, is letting one gradually down into the very depths of dulness and low spirits. A speck in the mist, at last! That’s something. It is the boat we wait for ! That’s more to the purpose. The captain appears on the paddle-box with his speaking trumpet; the officers take their stations; all hands are on the alert; the flagging hopes of the [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • He was waited upon over the factory, shown the machinery by George, who, in high spirits, talked so fluently, held himself so erect, looked so handsome and manly, that his master began to feel an uneasy [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • ‘For a while, she was much bewildered; and after waiting about two weeks, until she became acquainted with her new locality, and somewhat familiar with the inmates, the attempt was made to give her knowledge of arbitrary signs, by which she could [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • In the prisoner 's cell, waiting to be examined by the magistrate on a charge of theft, was a boy. This lad, instead of being committed to a common jail, would be sent to the asylum at South Boston, and there taught a trade; and [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • “ There's a man a piece down here, that's going over with some truck this evening, if he durs ’ to; he'll be in here to supper tonight, so you'd better set down and wait. That's a sweet little fellow, ” added the woman, offering him a cake. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] or, in other words, not frozen. The captain of a small steamboat was going to make his first trip for the season that day (the second February trip, I believe, within the memory of man ), and only waited for us to go on board. Accordingly, we went on board, with as little delay as might be. He was as good as his word, and started directly. (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • We stopped to dine at Baltimore, and being now in Maryland, were waited on, for the first time, by slaves. The sensation of exacting any service from human creatures who are bought and sold, and being, for the time, a party as it were to their condition, is not an [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] of the river and the adjacent country; and who were sauntering, too, about a larger state-room called the Eastern Drawing-room; we went up-stairs into another chamber, where were certain visitors, waiting for audiences. At sight of my conductor, a black in plain clothes and yellow slippers who was gliding noiselessly about, and whispering messages in the ears of the more impatient, made a sign of [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • We had not waited in this room many minutes, before the black messenger returned, and conducted us into another of smaller dimensions, where, at a business-like table covered with papers, sat the President himself. [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • No matter when you come, I'll always be here waiting, in the first song on the B side. (Only the River Flows)
  • -Oh, now we can go. -Come on. Waiting on you. It's gonna take forever. Sorry. That was my girlfriend -- (The Baltimorons)
  • Hi. I missed my train. Hmm. It's big. It's disgusting. Can I--can I leave my suitcase here while I wait ? (Mile End Kicks)
  • Only us, da - Finish all of them - Okay, come on Hey, Martin Martin!! 'HEY!' What are you waiting for ? Close his chapter (Magudam)