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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

waive en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • wāv
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /wɛjv/ (South-Asia)
  • /wev/ (South-Asia) pane–pain merger
  • /weiv/ (Wales) without the pane–pain merger
  • /wev/ (Scotland)
  • /wɛjv/ (British, Southern, Standard)
  • [weːv] (Scotland)
  • /weɪv/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /wæɪv/ (Australia, New-Zealand)

Etymology

From Middle English weyven (“to avoid, renounce”), from Anglo-Norman weyver (“to abandon, allow to become a waif”), from Old French waif (“waif”), from gaiver (“to abandon”), ultimately of Scandinavian/North Germanic origin; see weyver.

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To relinquish (a right etc.); to give up claim to; to forgo.
    • While there’s no reliable data on micro-housing, some notable policies and projects are popping up on that front too. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg waived the city’s zoning standards to allow micro-apartments. 2016 December 28, Dan Hernandez, “Is an even smaller New York apartment the key to sustainable living?”, in The Guardian:
    • If you waive the right to be silent, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.
    • The federal government will ban the import of live northern snakeheads beginning Friday, waiving the normal 30-day waiting period 2002 March 10, Kory Dodd, “Feds Announce Regs to Ban 'Frankenfish' Imports”, in FOX News:
    • Exhibiting what the dramatic critics call a "fine restraint," he waives his timely opportunity for discourse upon the celebrated gyascutus, which, as any Northwestern tourist will tell you, haunts the slopes of the most precipitous mountains—always evading capture because its legs, shorter on the one side of the body than on the other, are peculiarly adapted to scooting up an inclined plane. 1907, John Ames Mitchell, Life - Volume 50, page 270:
  2. (qualifier:particularly, transitive) To relinquish (a right etc.); to give up claim to; to forgo. ▸ To relinquish claim on a payment or fee which would otherwise be due.
  3. (Canada, US, transitive) To relinquish (a right etc.); to give up claim to; to forgo. ▸ To release [a player] onto the waiver wire
    • Nearly 1,200 players will be cut, waived, or sent packing, and the scramble to land on a practice squad or catch on elsewhere will move fast. 2025 August 24, Ryan Miller, “NFL roster cuts 2025: What to know about 53-man deadline, waivers, and practice squads”, in Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:
    • Jaden Ivey has played his last game in Chicago, with the Bulls waiving Ivey following his controversial comments on social media about the LGBTQ community. 2026 March 31, Chris Mannix, “Chris Mannix’s NBA Notes: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks Future, Jaden Ivey’s Ugly Exit”, in Sports Illustrated:
  4. (archaic) To put aside, avoid.
    • […] seeing in many such occasions of common life we advisedly do renounce or waive our own opinions, absolutely yielding to the direction of others a. 1683, Isaac Barrow, Sermon LIX, “Of obedience to our spiritual guides and governors”
  5. (obsolete) To outlaw (someone).
  6. (obsolete) To abandon, give up (someone or something).
    • but she might be waived, and held as abandoned. 1851, Alexander Mansfield Burrill, Law Dictionary and Glossary:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
waives Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
wave alternative, obsolete lexicographic
waived Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
waived Tense=Past lexicographic
waiving Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Antonyms

approve · submit · accept · admit

Deriveds

waivable · waiver

Relateds

waif · waiver

Synonyms

cede · terminate · yield · abdicate · dismiss · disregard · renounce · put aside · give up · relinquish · forgo · abandon · dissolve · surrender · let go · abjure

Translations (45)

hu nem él (vele) (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · bg оставям настрани (to put aside, avoid) · ru отбрасывать (to put aside, avoid) · nl laten varen (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · es prescindir de (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · fi luopua (to put aside, avoid) · es no exigir (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · de aufgeben (to put aside, avoid) · nl opgeven (to abandon, give up) · de verlassen (to put aside, avoid) · de verzichten (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · nl verzaken (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · nl verzaken (to put aside, avoid) · it evitare (to put aside, avoid) · pl zrezygnować (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · es dejar de lado (to put aside, avoid) · it abbandonare (to abandon, give up) · es no aplicar (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · es dispensar (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · es abandonar (to put aside, avoid) · es renunciar a (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · hu nem vesz igénybe (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · ru отверга́ть (to put aside, avoid) · es exonerar de (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · nl opgeven (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · fi luopua (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · bg отказвам се (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · sv avsäga sig (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · nl afzien van (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · hu felad (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · mi tuku (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · hu felfüggeszt (to put aside, avoid) · nl verlaten (to abandon, give up) · ru отка́зываться (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · de aufgeben (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · es proscribir (to outlaw) · nl laten varen (to put aside, avoid) · nl opgeven (to put aside, avoid) · hu lemond (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · hu eltekint (to put aside, avoid) · fr renoncer à (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · it rinunciare (to relinquish; to give up claim to) · es abandonar (to abandon, give up) · nl afzien van (to put aside, avoid) · sv avstå från (to relinquish; to give up claim to)

waive en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • wāv
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /wɛjv/ (South-Asia)
  • /wev/ (South-Asia) pane–pain merger
  • /weiv/ (Wales) without the pane–pain merger
  • /wev/ (Scotland)
  • /wɛjv/ (British, Southern, Standard)
  • [weːv] (Scotland)
  • /weɪv/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /wæɪv/ (Australia, New-Zealand)

Etymology

From Middle English weyven (“to wave, waver”), from Old Norse veifa (“to wave, swing”) (Norwegian veiva), from Proto-Germanic *waibijaną.

Meanings

  1. (obsolete) To move from side to side; to sway.
  2. (intransitive, obsolete) To stray, wander.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
waived Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
waived Tense=Past lexicographic
waiving Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
waives Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
wave alternative, obsolete lexicographic

Antonyms

approve · submit · accept · admit

Synonyms

cede · terminate · yield · abdicate · dismiss · disregard · renounce · put aside · give up · relinquish · forgo · abandon · dissolve · surrender · let go · abjure

Translations (2)

it ondeggiare (to sway) · nl zwenken (to sway)

waive en · NOUN · etymology 3

Pronunciation

  • wāv
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /wɛjv/ (South-Asia)
  • /wev/ (South-Asia) pane–pain merger
  • /weiv/ (Wales) without the pane–pain merger
  • /wev/ (Scotland)
  • /wɛjv/ (British, Southern, Standard)
  • [weːv] (Scotland)
  • /weɪv/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /wæɪv/ (Australia, New-Zealand)

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman waive, probably as the past participle of weyver, as Etymology 1, above.

Meanings

  1. (obsolete) A woman put out of the protection of the law; an outlawed woman.
  2. (obsolete) A waif; a castaway.
    • But vvhat a vvretched, and diſconſolate Hermitage is that Houſe, vvhich is not viſited by thee [God], and vvhat a VVayue, and Stray is that Man, that hath not thy Markes vpon him? 1624, John Donne, “13. Prayer”, in Deuotions upon Emergent Occasions, and Seuerall Steps in My Sicknes: […], London: […] A[ugustine] M[atthews] for Thomas Iones, →OCLC, page 329:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
wave alternative, obsolete lexicographic
waives Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

waivery

Translations (1)

it fuorilegge (outlawed woman)