hurry up and wait

idiom

US, informal
used to describe a situation in which one is forced to spend a lot of time waiting
My father says that all he did in the army was hurry up and wait.
sometimes used as a noun phrase
Traveling often involves a lot of hurry up and wait.

Examples of hurry up and wait in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The team can’t hurry up and wait to be a true contender, fielding half-measure rosters around Rafael Devers and Masataka Yoshida filled with patch-job veterans and open auditions for inchoate prospects. Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 15 June 2023

Dictionary Entries Near hurry up and wait

Cite this Entry

“Hurry up and wait.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hurry%20up%20and%20wait. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!