wait up

W w

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [weyt uhp]
- /weɪt ʌp/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [weyt uhp]
- /weɪt ʌp/

Definitions of wait up words

verb without object wait up to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens (often followed by for, till, or until): to wait for the bus to arrive. 1
verb without object wait up (of things) to be available or in readiness: A letter is waiting for you. 1
verb without object wait up to remain neglected for a time: a matter that can wait. 1
verb without object wait up to postpone or delay something or to be postponed or delayed: We waited a week and then bought the house. Your vacation will have to wait until next month. 1
verb without object wait up to look forward to eagerly: I'm just waiting for the day somebody knocks him down. 1
verb with object wait up to continue as one is in expectation of; await: to wait one's turn at a telephone booth. 1

See all 24 definitions of wait up

Information block about the term

Origin of wait up

First appearance:

before 1150

One of the 7% oldest English words

1150-1200; (v.) early Middle English waiten < Anglo-French waitier; Old French guaitier < Germanic; cognate with Old High German wahtēn to watch, derivative of wahta a watch (see wake1); (noun) late Middle English < AF derivative of waitier

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Wait up

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Wait up

wait up popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 95% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

wait up usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer