To Wait

1. (transitive, now rare) To delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to await. (Now generally superseded by “wait for”.)
2. (intransitive) To delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
3. (intransitive, stative, US) To wait tables; to serve customers in a restaurant or other eating establishment.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To attend on; to accompany; especially, to attend with ceremony or respect.
5. (obsolete) To attend as a consequence; to follow upon; to accompany.
6. (obsolete, colloquial) To defer or postpone (especially a meal).
7. (obsolete, except in phrases) To watch with malicious intent; to lie in wait
8. (intransitive) To remain faithful to one’s partner or betrothed during a prolonged period of absence.

Usage notes

• In sense 1, this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Synonyms

• (delay until): await, wait for
• (delay until some event): hold one's breath
• (serve customers): wait on, wait upon, serve
• (attend with ceremony or respect): bestand, serve, tend
• (attend as a consequence): attend, escort, go with
• (defer or postpone): defer, postpone
• (remain celibate)