View synonyms for

wait out

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Idioms and Phrases

Delay until the end of something, as in They waited out the war in Paris . This expression comes from baseball, where it alludes to the batter refraining from swinging at pitches in the hope of being walked (getting to first base on balls). It was first recorded in 1909 and was transferred to other activities by the 1930s.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

With the Trump administration slashing budgets and threatening to revoke tax-exempt status for nonprofits, some Southern California social justice organizations have gone into a defensive crouch, hoping to wait out the passing storm.

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It’s tempting to wait out the afternoon heat in this clandestine watering hole, evidenced by the long line of festivalgoers waiting for more people to leave so they can finally make their way in.

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The president, it seems, is willing to wait out the tempest created by his tariff plan.

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This prairie witch’s origin story is rooted in the loss of her only son and escape from the abusive home for unwed mothers where she was forced to wait out her pregnancy and give birth.

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They gave us a new destination to evacuate to and wait out the fire.

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

wait on hand and foot waitperson

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