awaited; awaiting; awaits

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

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.
Foreign powers await the U.S. choice just as Americans do. Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024 The others were awaiting confirmation Tuesday afternoon of whether their power grid sections would be shut off. Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024 Maricopa County officials were anticipating another wait Tuesday evening that could escalate tensions as politicians, pundits and voters across the country eagerly await initial rounds of election results. Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024 Shares of former President Trump's social media company rose sharply Tuesday morning and then plunged suddenly in the afternoon in a volatile session as investors awaited election results. Nathan Bomey, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near await

Cite this Entry

“Await.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/await. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

await

verb
1
: to wait for : expect
await a train
2
: to be ready or waiting for
a reward awaits you

More from Merriam-Webster on await

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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