waiting game

wait·ing game

W w

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [wey-ting geym]
- /ˈweɪ tɪŋ geɪm/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [wey-ting geym]
- /ˈweɪ tɪŋ geɪm/

Definitions of waiting game words

noun waiting game a stratagem in which action on a matter is reserved for or postponed to a later time, allowing one to wait for a more advantageous time to act or to see what develops in the meantime. 1
noun waiting game delay to gain advantage 1
countable noun waiting game If you play a waiting game, you deal with a situation by deliberately doing nothing, because you believe you will gain an advantage by acting later, or because you are waiting to see how other people are going to act. 0
noun waiting game the postponement of action or decision in order to gain the advantage 0
noun waiting game a scheme by means of which one outwits or wins out over another by delaying or postponing action until one has an advantage 0
noun waiting game (Idiomatic) A strategy or course of action in which one or more parties refrain from direct action until circumstances change in their favor. 0

See all 6 definitions of waiting game

Information block about the term

Origin of waiting game

First appearance:

before 1885

One of the 21% newest English words

First recorded in 1885-90

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Waiting game

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Waiting game

waiting game popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 36% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 68% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

waiting game usage trend in Literature

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