Meaning & use
wait time
Last updated
UK/ˈweɪt taɪm/
US/ˈweɪt taɪm/
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
The length of time a person has to wait before receiving a service, an appointment or an answer.
Grammar: Countable for a specific figure (a short wait time) or uncountable in general.
Patterns
- wait time for something
- the average wait time
The wait time at the clinic was almost two hours.
Customers complain about long wait times on the helpline.
Online booking cut the wait time for passports in half.
Word forms
| plural | wait times |
|---|
Common combinations
- average wait time
- The average wait time for the ride is forty minutes.
- reduce wait times
- The hospital hired more staff to reduce wait times.
- estimated wait time
- The app shows the estimated wait time for a table.
- long wait time
- A long wait time put many callers off.
Synonyms and how they differ
- waiting time
- Waiting time is the more common British form and can also mean time spent waiting generally.
- queue time
- Queue time is British and more about standing in a line.
- delay
- Delay implies something is late, while wait time is just the duration.
Word family
Commonly confused: wait time or waiting room?
wait time vs waiting room
A waiting room is a place where you wait, while wait time is how long you wait.
Practice
The hospital promised to reduce ______ in the emergency room.
Choose one answer.
Wait times refers to how long patients wait; the other options are not meaningful phrases here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wait time”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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