wait around

To spend an especially lengthy period of time inactively, while expecting the arrival of someone or while anticipating some other event, often impatiently and often without a satisfactory outcome.

Verb

  1. To spend an especially lengthy period of time inactively, while expecting the arrival of someone or while anticipating some other event, often impatiently and often without a satisfactory outcome.
    • Looks as if we were all sold out. But if you'll wait around till the old man comes along maybe he can put his hand on it. - 1911 October, Edith Wharton, chapter VI, in Ethan Frome (The Scribner Library; SL8), New York,...
    • "A terrible organization!" said Nikita Khrushchev, all but shuddering at the memory. "If you could see how the delegates behave! […]. They do not participate in work, but just sit there and wait around in case there's...
    • "In the beginning, I was waiting around by the phone," he said. "Then I got myself an answering machine." - 1993 November 14, William Glaberson, “Waiting for The Post to Call”, in New York Times, retrieved 18 Feb 2020:

Forms

waits around waiting around waited around