What does waiter mean?
In everyday English, a waiter is a person who serves food and drink in a restaurant or similar dining place. The worker takes a table's order, carries dishes from the kitchen, serves drinks, and may present the bill. The term remains widely used in both British and American English, though restaurant workers increasingly prefer the gender-neutral noun server. In older usage, waiter referred specifically to a man and waitress to a woman; waiter is now commonly used regardless of the worker's gender, while waitress is becoming dated in many settings. More broadly and much less commonly, waiter can mean someone who waits or awaits a person or event, though this use often sounds literary or archaic. In the vocabulary of hospitality and service, the word belongs to a familiar occupational tradition in which the ordinary action of waiting has become a skilled profession.
nounA waiter is a person who serves food and drink in a restaurant or similar dining place, taking orders and bringing customers their meals. Less commonly, the word means a person who waits or awaits someone or something.
- A person who serves food and drink to customers at a restaurant or similar establishment.
- A person who waits or awaits someone or something.
"The waiter brought our drinks and recommended the house special."
"Our waiter was attentive without hovering over the table."
"The waiter for the queen's arrival finally appeared at the gate."
The regular plural is used when referring to restaurant workers or to multiple people who wait.
"The restaurant hired two new waiters."
A waiter turned the simple act of waiting into a profession.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does waiter come from?
Waiter was formed as an agent noun from wait and the suffix -er, giving it the original sense 'one who waits.' The word wait entered Middle English from Old French and ultimately derives from a Germanic verb associated with watching or waiting. The restaurant meaning developed later through the idea of a person who waits upon diners; await and watch are related English words from the same broad Germanic tradition.
How waiter is actually used
In contemporary British and American English, waiter is widely understood regardless of the server's gender, although server has become a common gender-neutral alternative. Waitress is now less common and may sound old-fashioned in many settings. The broader sense meaning 'one who awaits' is relatively uncommon and often has a formal or archaic tone.
Easily confused with waiter
A waiter serves diners, whereas a waiver is a document or decision that relinquishes a right or requirement.