noun

waiter

WAY-tuh

noun

A person who serves customers at their tables in a restaurant or café.

"The waiter recommended the fish special."

How to Use Waiter

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSomeone whose job is serving food and drinks to customers at a table.

UK vs US

Increasingly, "server" is used as a gender-neutral alternative to "waiter"/"waitress" in both UK and US English.

Easily confused with

waitress →

Common pairings

head waiter call the waiter tip the waiter

waitered past tense, waiters plural, waiters singular

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The _____ recommended the fish special.

From Middle English "wayter" (attendant, watchman) — a straightforward pairing of "wait" plus the agent suffix "-er".

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