1 B1 neutral
To serve customers in a restaurant or hotel, bringing them food, drink, or other items.
"She worked summers waiting on tables to pay for her university fees."
inseparable
wait on
B1 neutral inseparable transitive
To serve someone (e.g., in a restaurant); or, in informal American English, to wait for someone or something.
In plain English
To bring food or drinks to someone at a table, or (in American English) to wait for something.
What does "wait on" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 informal
(American English, informal) To wait for a person, event, or result.
"We're still waiting on the lab results before we make a decision."
inseparable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To attend to someone's every need, treating them as if they were royalty.
"Her family waited on her hand and foot after she came home from the hospital."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To be in attendance on someone — 'on' indicates focus or service directed at a person.
Actually means
To bring food or drinks to someone at a table, or (in American English) to wait for something.
Usage tip
Has two distinct senses depending on dialect. The 'serve' sense is used in both British and American English. The 'wait for' sense (e.g., 'I'm waiting on the results') is primarily American English and is considered informal. British speakers may find the second sense non-standard.
Words that pair with "wait on"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
table customer guest results decision call
How to conjugate "wait on"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
wait on
I/you/we/they
3rd person
waits on
he/she/it
Past simple
waited on
yesterday
Past participle
waited on
have + pp
-ing form
waiting on
continuous
Hear "wait on" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "wait on" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "wait on"
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Keep exploring
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