wait up en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Meanings
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To stay awake waiting for somebody to return.
My dad waited up for us, pacing all over the place.
2011, Susan Calder, Deadly Fall, page 99:It is one a.m. on a Sunday morning and I'm waiting up for my teenage son, who was supposed to be home at midnight.
2005, Kathryn E. Livingston, All About Motherhood, page 55:One night, Lana came home, while her dad waited up for her.
2008, Michael Panar, Changes:Dad waited up at first, but by the end of sophomore year he was always in bed.
2011, Catherine Greenman, Hooked, page 203:Anyway, Dad waited up for them. It must have been about midnight when they came in.
1980, Joe Garner, Never Fly Over an Eagle's Nest, page 66:While she waits up You chase down the newest thing and take for granted what you have
2012, Taylor Swift, “Girl at Home”, in Red, performed by Taylor Swift:
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(US, colloquial, often, used in the imperative) To wait.
Hey, wait up! I forgot my umbrella.
We have to wait up for Steve.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| waits up | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| waiting up | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| waited up | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| waited up | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Translations (3)
ja 少々 (wait) · sv vänta uppe (stay awake) · sv stanna uppe (stay awake)