wait/just a minute

idiom

informal

1

—used to tell someone to wait or to stop for a brief time

"Aren't you finished yet?" "Just a minute. I'm almost done."

Wait a minute—I didn't hear you. Could you repeat what you said?

Wait just a minute, young man. Where do you think you're going?

2

—used to express surprise or disbelief

Hey, wait a minute! That's not what you said yesterday!

Examples of wait/just a minute in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After shampooing, apply it to wet hair—then wait a minute and rinse it out. —Jenny Berg, Allure, 31 Dec. 2024

For that kid to see me and Noah on the screen and go, hey, wait a minute, that’s someone like me on TV to watch it any time. —Scott Powers, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024

This collision between the impatient economy (people want their services yesterday) and the hesitation reflex (wait a minute on that click) is documented in Accenture’s 2025 Life Trends report, along with other trends ahead. —Joe McKendrick, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

Well, wait a minute...you're the one who wants to move to Italy. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024