await

verb

ə-ˈwāt How to pronounce await (audio)
awaited; awaiting; awaits
Synonyms of awaitnext

transitive verb

1
a
: to wait for
We are awaiting his arrival.
await a decision
b
: to remain in abeyance until
a treaty awaiting ratification
2
: to be in store for
He wonders what awaits him next.
3
obsolete : to lie in wait for

intransitive verb

1
: to stay or be in waiting : wait
The nation awaited as Congress debated the issue.
2
: to be in store
… marched … north to civilization where fame and fortune awaited.—Tom Marvel
3
obsolete : attend

Synonyms of await

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Examples of await in a Sentence

A crowd of people awaited the train. We're eagerly awaiting his arrival. He was arrested and is now in prison awaiting trial. Her long-awaited new novel is finally being published. The same fate awaits us all.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Simon took the campy photographs in the same Hilton hotel where Moore’s children awaited their mother, and the images make up what the wall text calls a MooreWrap cruise-collection look book. — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026 Carl Hammer, 81, awaits sentencing in a Maryland case where the victim was in the Philippines. — Dan Morse, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026 Oscar Belgal, 28, is currently being held in custody and awaiting court appearances following the incident. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026 Hamas continues to govern the territory, while a committee of Palestinian technocrats remains in Cairo awaiting permission to enter Gaza and oversee a transition of power. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for await

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French aweiter, aguaiter, from a- (from Latin ad-) + guaiter to watch — more at wait

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of await was in the 13th century

Rhymes for await

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Browse Nearby Words

Awadhi
await
Awaji
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Await.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/await. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

await

verb
ə-ˈwāt How to pronounce await (audio)
1
: to wait for : expect
await a train
2
: to be ready or waiting for
a reward awaits you
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