the staggering bill that waited on them at the white commissary downtown — Maya Angelou Waiting – What’s the Difference? What Google says about nofollow, sponsored, and UGC links in 2020: Does it affect your SEO rankings? I'm so hungry, I could literally eat a horse right now. Await is slightly older and first appeared in English in the 13th century. for two days I've been waiting on weather — Charles A. Lindbergh Say you got a bad grade on a report card that your parents have to sign. Wellbeing or Well-Being – Which is Correct? Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors.

Literal thinkers tend to be straightforward and apply the most literal meaning to words and ideas. You're waiting for the axe to fall. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins used to preface an interjected question, correction, etc. “Await.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/await. Waiting on God is a part of the Christian experience. Awaiting is a transitive verb and requires an object. Let’s trace the history of this meandering adverb. I/we wait: first person singular and plural present, You wait: second person singular and plural present, He/she/it waits: third person singular present, I await the exciting conclusion of the HBO series. Awaiting is a transitive verb that requires an object. One reason for the continuing use of wait on may lie in its being able to suggest protracted or irritating waits better than wait for. Still See the Bible as Word of God; But 21%, near the 40-year high, consider it fables and history, IFIND I'm gradually gaining [...]; COLUMNIST, list (someone or something) as one of (someone or something), listen (to someone or something) with half an ear, listeners never hear any good of themselves, Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'await.' She was, Meanwhile, there are two things to do: vote, and, On average, voters waited between one and two hours, compared to last weekend’s, Why not remove out-of-bounds shoots now and, In-person appointments require clients to wear a mask, practice social distancing and, Terpenoid molecules are not very water soluble, so octopuses can't sit and, Queen Creek senior linebacker Trey Reynolds, in four games, has shown why Utah can't, The couple came on Saturday to avoid long lines on Election Day and heard from friends that the, Anchorage resident Jeana Johnson, who hasn’t worked since May because of the pandemic, said the, At the Richardson Civic Center on Thursday morning, the, People also have the right to call and ask how long the, This year especially, with the higher volume of mail-in voting, the, The retailer’s biggest sale of the year — normally held in July — was delayed by months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the. She thought that people would view her as a lady because she wore "white cotton gloves"and was dressed up to embark on their trip. 14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1, 13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a, Middle English, from Anglo-French waiter, guaiter to watch over, await, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wahta watch, Old English wæccan to watch — more at wake, Middle English waite watchman, observation, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wahta watch. Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible). She failed to grasp the metaphor and interpreted the poem literally.

Handbook writers universally denigrate wait on and prescribe wait for in writing. Remember when you were willing to wait a few seconds for a computer to respond to a click on a Web site or a tap on a keyboard? Wait is a bit cleaner and more contemporary, while await could be useful if you need a more formal tone, like in wedding invitations. Accessed 7 Nov. 2020. Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020, Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Both wait and await are very old words. We have literally been waiting … Opposite to the original meaning of "literally," it is used to add hyperbolic emphasis to a statement. Another emendation would yield "the mountain of God, " congruent with similar references noted above. settlement of the big problems still waited on Russia — Time How to use a word that (literally) drives some pe... Do you know what languages these words come from? The flu was so bad that I literally coughed my head off. Absentee Ballot vs. Mail-In Ballot: Is There A Difference? Introduction The waiting room, a land where time seemingly stands still. Opposite to the original meaning of "literally," it is used to add hyperbolic emphasis to a statement.

the news was literally an eye-opener to me. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! It’s not impetuous, and it’s not despairing.” What does await mean? the house was literally only five minutes walk away. Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012. Walker: 'We literally hate you', Redfoo Sorry 'From the Bottom of His Heart' For Releasing 'Literally I Can't' [VIDEO], Three in Four in U.S. Here Be Dragons: A Creature Identification Quiz. Delivered to your inbox! The literal definition of the word dead is “no longer living; deprived of life.” 2 In the sentence: The man buried in that grave is dead, you automatically understood that it was the literal meaning of the word dead is being used. 13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3, Middle English, from Anglo-French aweiter, aguaiter, from a- (from Latin ad-) + guaiter to watch — more at wait. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. [ קָוָה ] verb wait for (probably originally twist, stretch , then of tension of enduring, waiting: Assyrian ‡ûû II, I. wait , ‡û , cord ; Arabic be strong , strength , also strand of rope; Syriac endure, remain, await , threads , so ᵑ7 קַוִּין spider's threads, web ); —