📖 W — The English dictionary · page 2

waist — Everyday, meaning 1: Your waist is the middle part of your body, between your ribs and your hips, usually the narrowest part, where a belt goes.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The waist of a piece of clothing is the part that goes around your waist.↗ Example: She tied a ribbon around her waist.↗ · The water was waist-deep, so we stayed close to the shore.↗ · These jeans are too big at the waist.↗ · Put your hands on your waist and bend to the side.↗ · Measure your waist with a tape measure.↗ · The dancer bent at the waist and bowed.↗ · She clasped little Gerda round the waist, and said,--↗

waistband — Everyday, meaning 1: A waistband is the band of cloth around the waist of trousers or a skirt, where small things can be tucked.↗ Example: She tucked the letter into her waistband.↗ · His trousers had a tight waistband.↗ · He took the bracelet from his waistband.↗

waistcoat — Everyday, meaning 1: (UK) A short jacket with buttons and no sleeves, worn over a shirt and often under a suit jacket; in the USA and Canada it is called a vest.↗ Example: Dad wore a grey waistcoat to my cousin's wedding.↗ · The White Rabbit took a watch out of his waistcoat pocket.↗ · The page boy wore a little velvet waistcoat.↗ · Our crossing guard wears a bright yellow safety waistcoat.↗ · In the play, I wore a waistcoat and a top hat.↗ · The waistcoat had six shiny buttons.↗

wait — Everyday, meaning 1: To wait means to stay where you are, or not do something, until something happens or someone comes.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A wait is the time you stay.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: «Wait for it», «can't wait» mean someone is excited about something coming soon.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To wait on people is to serve them food, as in a restaurant.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (casual) «Wait, what?» shows surprise; «wait up» means wait for me to catch up; «hang on», «hold on» and «hold your horses» mean wait.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: (casual) «No wait» or «wait no» starts a self-correction: «she had 5 — no wait, 6.».↗ Everyday, meaning 7: (rough) «You wait!» or «just you wait» is a threat of trouble later.↗ Everyday, meaning 8: (formal) «Await», «remain pending» and «a period of waiting» are stiff words: «Passengers awaited the service for 15 minutes.».↗ Example: They waited 15 minutes for the bus.↗ · She waited from 2:00 to 2:45.↗ · 12 people are waiting in line.↗ · How long did he wait in all?↗ · Please wait your turn.↗ · I can't wait for the summer holidays!↗ · Wait a minute, I left my bag on the bench.↗ · There was a long wait at the doctor's.↗ · 12 kids, wait no, 13 with me (casual, self-correction)↗ · wait up!! my shoelace (casual)↗ · Touch my bike again and you wait, mate.↗ (rough)↗ · Passengers awaited the service from 14:00 until 14:45; ascertain the duration of the wait.↗ (formal exam)↗ · He waited one hour, two hours.↗ · I wait for Thy salvation, O Lord.↗ (Torah GEN.49.18, JPS 1917)↗ · But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him any thing without lying in wait, (Torah NUM.35.22, JPS 1917)↗ · And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him any thing, lying in wait, so that he died; (Torah NUM.35.20, JPS 1917)↗ · And now, Lord, what wait I for?↗ (Writings PSA.39.8, JPS 1917)↗ · And Israel set liers-in-wait against Gibeah round about.↗ (Prophets JDG.20.29, JPS 1917)↗ · Now she had liers-in-wait abiding in the inner chamber.↗ (Prophets JDG.16.9, JPS 1917)↗

waiter — Everyday, meaning 1: A waiter is a person whose job is to bring food and drinks to people in a restaurant or café.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Rarely, a waiter is someone who waits.↗ Example: The waiter brought us our pizzas.↗ · We said thank you to the waiter.↗ · Ask the waiter for some water, please.↗ · The waiter wrote our order on a notepad.↗ · The bill was $36, so with four of us each person paid $9.↗ · My brother wants to be a waiter in a café.↗

waitress — Everyday, meaning 1: A waitress is a woman or girl whose job is to bring food and drinks to customers' tables in a café or restaurant and take their orders.↗ Example: The waitress brought us three glasses of lemonade.↗ · My cousin works as a waitress on Saturdays.↗ · We thanked the waitress and left a tip.↗ · The waitress wrote down our order.↗ · Mum asked the waitress for the bill.↗ · The waitress carried four plates at once.↗ · A waitress earns £8 an hour; how much does she earn in 5 hours?↗

waive — Everyday, meaning 1: To waive a rule, fee or right is to choose not to use it or not to demand it (formal).↗ Example: The school waived the fee for the trip.↗ · The teacher waived the homework rule this week.↗ · He waived his right to a lawyer.↗ · The bank waived the charge.↗ · The shop waived the delivery cost.↗ · They waived the late fine.↗ · Finally, I have to thank those by whose kindness in waiving their rights to some of these stories, I have been enabled to compile this book.↗

wake — Everyday, meaning 1: To wake, or wake up, means to stop sleeping.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To wake someone is to make them stop sleeping.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The wake of a boat is the line of waves it leaves behind on the water.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: «In the wake of» means after something and because of it.↗ Example: She wakes up at 7:00.↗ · He went to bed at 9:00 and woke at 6:00.↗ · How many hours did he sleep?↗ · They woke up 30 minutes late.↗ · Shh, don't wake the baby!↗ · My alarm wakes me every school day.↗ · Bears wake up in spring after sleeping all winter.↗ · The boat left a long white wake behind it.↗ · Are you sleeping, or are you waking?"↗ · And the angel that spoke with me returned, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.↗ (Prophets ZEC.4.1, JPS 1917)↗ · With their poison I will prepare their feast, and I will make them drunken, that they may be convulsed, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD.↗ (Prophets JER.51.39, JPS 1917)↗ · And I will make drunk her princes and her wise men, her governors and her deputies, and her mighty men; and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.↗ (Prophets JER.51.57, JPS 1917)↗

wakeful — Everyday, meaning 1: Not able to sleep, or awake when you would normally sleep.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Watchful and alert.↗ Example: The storm gave us a wakeful night.↗ · The baby was wakeful and cried until morning.↗ · Fizzy drinks before bed can make you wakeful.↗ · A wakeful guard watched the gate.↗ · She lay wakeful, thinking about the trip.↗ · The puppy was wakeful on its first night at home.↗ · The nobleman felt that he must taste of these apples or die; but the wakeful huntsman rushed up and cut down the apple-tree, whereupon apples and apple-tree turned to ashes.↗

wakefulness — Everyday, meaning 1: Wakefulness is the state of being awake.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Wakefulness also means being unable to sleep when you want to.↗ Example: Coffee can cause wakefulness at night.↗ · Babies have short periods of wakefulness between sleeps.↗ · The night before the trip, excitement kept me in a state of wakefulness.↗ · Bright screens before bed can lead to wakefulness.↗ · Owls are in their wakefulness at night and sleep by day.↗ · The doctor asked Gran about her wakefulness in the early morning.↗

waken — Everyday, meaning 1: To waken is to wake up, or to wake someone from sleep.↗ Example: The noise wakened the baby.↗ · She did not waken, even when the bell rang.↗ · Soon the trolls wakened up.↗ · And the angel that spoke with me returned, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.↗ (Prophets ZEC.4.1, JPS 1917)↗

wakening — Everyday, meaning 1: Wakening means beginning to wake up or to become aware of something.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (old use) Wakening means waking someone up, as in "don't be wakening the child".↗ Example: The wakening sun brought the birds to sing.↗ · Don't be wakening the baby.↗ · Her wakening heart began to feel love.↗

waketh — Early Modern English, meaning 1: «waketh» means «wakes», a form of «wake».↗ e.g. To wake, or wake up, means to stop sleeping.↗ Example: "Stern death, thy chilling silence waketh dread; Yet in thy darkest hour there may be light.↗ (Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen)

walk — Everyday, meaning 1: To walk means to move by putting one foot in front of the other, slower than running.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A walk is a trip on foot, often for fun or exercise.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To walk a dog is to take it out for a walk.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To walk someone home is to go with them on foot.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: A walk of life is a kind of job or background (rare).↗ Everyday, meaning 6: (casual) «A walk in the park» means very easy; «walk it» means win easily.↗ Everyday, meaning 7: (casual) To walk out is to leave in protest; to walk off with something is to steal it or win it easily.↗ Everyday, meaning 8: (rough) «Take a walk» means go away, I'm done with you.↗ Everyday, meaning 9: (formal) «Proceed on foot», «traverse» and «perambulate» (old, very formal) are stiff words for walk.↗ Example: She walks 2 km to school.↗ · He walked for 40 minutes.↗ · They walk 3 miles each day.↗ · How far does she walk in a week?↗ · Let's go for a walk in the park.↗ · Tom walks the dog every morning.↗ · The shop is a five-minute walk from our house.↗ · Babies usually learn to walk around their first birthday.↗ · bus is late, we walking or what, it's like 2 km (casual)↗ · That test was a walk in the park.↗ (casual)↗ · Take a walk, I'm not lending you anything.↗ (rough)↗ · A pedestrian proceeds on foot a distance of 3 miles daily; compute the aggregate distance over a period of 7 days.↗ (formal exam)↗ · The two women walked very slowly.↗ · And Enoch walked with God, and he was not; for God took him.↗ (Torah GEN.5.24, JPS 1917)↗ · If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them; (Torah LEV.26.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Noah was in his generations a man righteous and whole-hearted; Noah walked with God.↗ (Torah GEN.6.9, JPS 1917)↗ · But they said: 'We will not walk therein.'↗ (Prophets JER.6.16, JPS 1917)↗ · Will two walk together, except they have agreed?↗ (Prophets AMO.3.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep?↗ (Writings JOB.38.16, JPS 1917)↗

walkabout — Everyday, meaning 1: (Australia) A walkabout is a traditional journey on foot through the bush made by some Aboriginal Australians, linked to culture, country and learning.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (UK) A walkabout is when a king, queen or famous person walks among a crowd, shaking hands and talking.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) To go walkabout means to wander off or go missing.↗ Example: The King went on a walkabout to meet the crowd.↗ · My PE kit has gone walkabout again!↗ · Walkabout is a traditional journey linked to Aboriginal culture.↗ · The prime minister did a walkabout in the town centre.↗ · The dog went walkabout and came home at tea time.↗ · Crowds waited for hours for the royal walkabout.↗

walker — Everyday, meaning 1: A walker is a person who walks, often for fun or sport.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A walker is also a frame that helps a person who cannot walk well, or a baby, to walk.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A dog walker is a person paid to take dogs for walks.↗ Example: A walker goes 4 km an hour.↗ · 30 walkers took part.↗ · The faster walker arrives first.↗ · How far apart are the two walkers?↗ · Walkers should wear bright clothes at night.↗ · The dog walker takes five dogs to the park.↗ · Grandpa uses a walker since his operation.↗ · A group of walkers climbed the hill.↗ · "Yes, Fred," said she, and soon made herself ready; but, her husband being a good walker, she lagged behind.↗

walkest — Early Modern English, meaning 1: «walkest» means «you walk», a form of «walk».↗ e.g. To walk means to move by putting one foot in front of the other, slower than running.↗ Example: And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.↗ (Torah DEU.11.19, JPS 1917) · and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.↗ (Torah DEU.6.7, JPS 1917)

walketh — Early Modern English, meaning 1: «walketh» means «walks», a form of «walk».↗ e.g. To walk means to move by putting one foot in front of the other, slower than running.↗ Example: And she said unto the servant: 'What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us?'↗ And the servant said: 'It is my master.'↗ And she took her veil, and covered herself.↗ (Torah GEN.24.65, JPS 1917)

walkover — Everyday, meaning 1: A very easy win in a game or contest, where the other side hardly fights back.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (sport) A win given to one side because the other side did not turn up or could not play.↗ Example: The final was a walkover; we won 8–0.↗ · The other team did not turn up, so we won by a walkover.↗ · Don't expect a walkover; they are a strong side.↗ · The spelling quiz was a walkover for Priya.↗ · The election was a walkover for the popular mayor.↗ · The tennis player got a walkover when her opponent was injured.↗