15 | Waiting

Today you will learn 5 new English words related to "Waiting"

Author

SEWT Team
July 30, 2025

“Waiting” is an unavoidable part of everyday life, making it a highly relevant topic for you as an ESL learner. Discussing and understanding the vocabulary associated with “waiting” provides opportunities to practice expressing patience and frustration in English. You can also explore cultural differences in queuing and waiting etiquette, fostering a deeper understanding of diverse social norms. Let’s jump right in!

5 TERMS

  1. Anticipation (Noun): The act of looking forward to something or expecting it to happen.

  2. Restless (Adjective): Unable to stay still because of anxiety, impatience, or boredom.

  3. Delay (Noun / Verb): A period of time when something is postponed or held up.

  4. Impatience (Noun): A feeling of frustration or annoyance because something is taking longer than expected.

  5. Linger (Verb): To stay in a place longer than necessary, often because of reluctance or waiting.

EXAMPLE SENTENCES

  1. Anticipation

    • The anticipation of waiting for the concert to begin made everyone excited.

    • She waited in anticipation for her test results.

    • The long anticipation made the movie even more thrilling.

  2. Restless

    • He grew restless after sitting in the waiting room for an hour.

    • The children became restless as they waited for their turn at the amusement park.

    • I felt restless waiting for the flight to be called.

  3. Delay 

    • The delay in the flight caused many passengers to miss their connecting flights.

    • We had to delay our meeting because the client was running late.

    • There was a significant delay in the delivery of the package.

  4. Impatience

    • His impatience grew as the line at the store didn’t seem to move.

    • I could see the impatience in her eyes as she waited for the bus.

    • After an hour of waiting, my impatience was growing, and I considered leaving.

  5. Linger

    • After the meeting, I decided to linger in the lobby for a while.

    • The rain made us linger inside the café, waiting for it to stop.

    • She didn’t want to leave, so she continued to linger near the exit.

EXAMPLE PARAGRAPH

The delay stretched on, and a sense of impatience began to permeate the air. Some people started to linger by the door, their restless movements betraying their growing frustration. Others, however, tried to focus on the anticipation of what awaited them, hoping to quell their unease. Waiting, a universal experience, tests the limits of patience and highlights the human desire for things to move forward.