Wait for vs. Wait on
How to use "wait for" and "wait on" correctlyThis is an entry on my list of Common Errors in English Usage. Visit the main page for direct links to additional entries.
To wait on means “to serve”:
our server waited on us attentively
To wait for means “to await”:
waited on the bus for an hour
waited for the bus for an hour
Related Resources
Common Errors in English Usage: Errors in diction and idiom commonly made by native speakers of English
List of Common Errors in English Usage (PDF): Printable version of the complete list
Common Grammar Errors: A list of common errors in grammar (topics like subject-verb agreement and parallelism) as distinct from usage
List of Common Errors in English Usage: PDF version
© 2006, 2008, and 2019 C. Brantley Collins, Jr.