waiter

noun

wait·​er ˈwā-tər 

1

: one that waits on another

especially : a person who waits tables (as in a restaurant)

2

: a tray on which something (such as a tea service) is carried : salver

Synonyms

• garçon
• server
• waitperson

Examples of waiter in a Sentence

waiters at that elegant restaurant must go through an extended training program before being allowed to serve customers

Recent Examples on the Web

This could result in a surplus of restaurant waiters and a shortage of fast-food cashiers, abundance of bartenders and not enough warehouse workers, or too many food deliverers and too few package deliverers. —Steve Rosenthal, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024

Finally, there’s Maggie (Gabrielle Creevy), a 23-year-old waiter in North Dakota who’s waiting tables at Perkins and still living with her parents. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2024

Who Definitely Didn’t Steal Hollywood from BAFTA-winning Lockerbie director John Dower, Parretti will give his own account of what happened all those years ago when the unknown waiter became one of the most powerful studio bosses in Hollywood, but soon faced an FBI investigation. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2024

Don’t mind the hovering waiters, shining flashlights in your face. —Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing waiter

• wine waiter

Kids Definition

waiter

noun

wait·​er ˈwāt-ər 

: one that waits

especially : a person who waits tables (as in a restaurant)