wait on

wait on
verb
work for or be a servant to (Freq. 1)
-

May I serve you?

-

She attends the old lady in the wheelchair

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Can you wait on our table, please?

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Is a salesperson assisting you?

-

The minister served the King for many years

• Syn: ↑serve, ↑attend to, ↑attend, ↑assist
• Derivationally related forms: ↑assist (for: ↑assist), ↑attendant (for: ↑attend), ↑attender (for: ↑attend), ↑servant (for: ↑serve), ↑servitor (for: ↑serve)
• Hypernyms: ↑help, ↑assist, ↑aid
• Hyponyms: ↑valet, ↑fag
• Verb Group: ↑serve
• Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s somebody

-

Somebody ——s somebody with something

-

Sam cannot wait on Sue

* * *

wait on (or upon)
act as an attendant to (someone)

a maid was appointed to wait on her

■ serve (a customer) in a store
■ archaic pay a respectful visit to

* * *

wait on (also wait upon) [phrasal verb]
1 wait on/upon (someone)
1 a : to serve food or drinks as a waiter or waitress to (someone)

The hostess waits on tables/people when the restaurant is crowded.

1 b : to provide service to (a customer) : to help (a customer) make purchases

He is busy waiting on customers at the moment.

1 c : to act as a servant to (someone)

He seems to expect his wife to wait on him.

She waited on her children hand and foot. [=she acted like a servant to her children; she provided her children with everything they needed or wanted]

2 wait on/upon (someone or something) chiefly US : to wait for (someone or something) to arrive or happen

We waited on him, but he never came.

The government's decision must wait on the committee's report. [=the government's decision will not be made until the committee has issued its report]

• • •
Main Entry: ↑wait

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Synonyms:
(as a servant), , , / , , , , / (as a consequence), / , / , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

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