waiter
/ˈweɪtə
/noun
1A man whose job is to serve customers at their tables in a restaurant.Arriving passengers greet their cabin stewards and table waiters like long-lost family friends with smiling handshakes, hugs and much backslapping....
- Lauren and I went to Osteria tonight and the waiters outnumbered the customers.
- The waiters serve the women at each table first.
Synonyms
server, stewardess, steward, attendant;
head waitress/waiter, hostess, host;
wine steward, wine waiter;
butler, servant, page, flunkey;
North American waitperson, carhop;
French garçon, maître d'hôtel, sommelier (des vins)
2A person who waits for a time, event, or opportunity.Mr McMahon said all of the long waiters in the eastern region should be given an opportunity to be treated under the fund and a record kept of those who don't wish to be involved in the scheme....
- Although the Trust achieved its target of having no over 12 month waiters, 299 patients had been waiting longer than nine months at the end of March.
3A small tray; a salver.
