wait for someone

Meanings

1. 1phrasephrasal verb

   To stay in one place or delay an action until a particular person arrives or something happens.

   Grammar: Always followed by the person or thing you are expecting: wait for someone/something. The object comes after 'for'.

   Patterns

   • wait for someone
   • wait for something
   • wait for someone to do something

   I'll wait for you outside the station if you're running late.

   We waited for the bus for twenty minutes in the rain.

   She is waiting for her friend to call back before she leaves.

2. 2phrasephrasal verb

   To be patient and expect that someone will do something or that something will happen.

   Grammar: Often used with 'to' + infinitive to show what is expected: wait for someone to arrive.

   Patterns

   • wait for someone to do something
   • wait for something to happen

   We are waiting for the results to be announced.

   He waited for the manager to make a decision.

   They waited for the rain to stop before going out.

Common combinations

wait for a bus

I hate waiting for a bus when it's cold.

wait for an answer

She waited for an answer, but none came.

wait for someone to arrive

We waited for the guests to arrive before serving dinner.

wait patiently for

He waited patiently for his turn to speak.

Synonyms and how they differ

await

More formal and usually used without 'for': await someone/something. It is common in writing but rare in speech.

expect

Focuses on believing that something will happen, not on staying in one place. You can expect a call without waiting for it.

Opposites

Word family

wait verb

To stay somewhere or delay something until a time or event.

waiting noun

The act of staying in one place until something happens.

waiter noun

A person who serves food and drinks in a restaurant.

Commonly confused: wait for someone or wait on?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “wait for someone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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