wait up

The phrase "wait up" is commonly used in everyday English to either delay sleep for someone or to ask someone to slow down.

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ US Voice:
πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ UK Voice:

Definition

B1Everyday Life

(informal)To stay awake longer than usual expecting someone to arrive.

Example

  • I'll be back late, so don't wait up for me.
  • She always waits up for her kids to come home.

B1Everyday Life

(informal, North American)To ask someone to stop or go more slowly so you can join them.

Example

  • Wait up, you're walking too fast!
  • Can you wait up for me? I need to tie my shoe.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "wait up":

wait onwait forhold upwait a minutehold oncan waithang onhang tighthold tightstay upstand byhey uphold offhold itkeep uphold my beercan't waithands up