Join free

waive

English · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

waive¹

  • /weɪv/ US, UK
  • /wɛjv/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /wæɪv/ Australia, New Zealand
  • /wev/ Scotland
  • [weːv] Scotland
  • /weiv/ Wales
  • /wɛjv/ South Asia
  • /wev/ South Asia

Sounds like wave (pane–pain merger) · Rhymes with -eɪv

Where it comes from

From Middle English weyven (“to avoid, renounce”), from Anglo-Norman weyver (“to abandon, allow to become a waif”), from Old French waif (“waif”), from gaiver (“to abandon”), ultimately of Scandinavian/North Germanic origin; see weyver.

verb waives · waiving · waived · wave

  1. transitive To relinquish (a right etc.); to give up claim to; to forgo. If you waive the right to be silent, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.
  2. transitive To relinquish claim on a payment or fee which would otherwise be due.
  3. Canada, US, transitive To release [a player] onto the waiver wire Nearly 1,200 players will be cut, waived, or sent packing, and the scramble to land on a practice squad or catch on elsewhere will move fast.
  4. archaic To put aside, avoid. […] seeing in many such occasions of common life we advisedly do renounce or waive our own opinions, absolutely yielding to the direction of others
  5. obsolete To outlaw (someone).
  6. obsolete To abandon, give up (someone or something). but she might be waived, and held as abandoned.

Similar: abandon, abdicate, abjure, cede, dismiss, disregard, dissolve, forgo, give up, let go, put aside, relinquish, renounce, surrender, terminate, yield · Opposite: accept, admit, approve, submit

waive²

  • /weɪv/ US, UK
  • /wɛjv/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /wæɪv/ Australia, New Zealand
  • /wev/ Scotland
  • [weːv] Scotland
  • /weiv/ Wales
  • /wɛjv/ South Asia
  • /wev/ South Asia

Sounds like wave (pane–pain merger) · Rhymes with -eɪv

Where it comes from

From Middle English weyven (“to wave, waver”), from Old Norse veifa (“to wave, swing”) (Norwegian veiva), from Proto-Germanic *waibijaną.

verb waives · waiving · waived · wave

  1. obsolete To move from side to side; to sway.
  2. intransitive, obsolete To stray, wander.

Similar: abandon, abdicate, abjure, cede, dismiss, disregard, dissolve, forgo, give up, let go, put aside, relinquish, renounce, surrender, terminate, yield · Opposite: accept, admit, approve, submit

waive³

  • /weɪv/ US, UK
  • /wɛjv/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /wæɪv/ Australia, New Zealand
  • /wev/ Scotland
  • [weːv] Scotland
  • /weiv/ Wales
  • /wɛjv/ South Asia
  • /wev/ South Asia

Sounds like wave (pane–pain merger) · Rhymes with -eɪv

Where it comes from

From Anglo-Norman waive, probably as the past participle of weyver, as Etymology 1, above.

noun waives · wave

  1. obsolete A woman put out of the protection of the law; an outlawed woman.
  2. obsolete A waif; a castaway. But vvhat a vvretched, and diſconſolate Hermitage is that Houſe, vvhich is not viſited by thee [God], and vvhat a VVayue, and Stray is that Man, that hath not thy Markes vpon him?

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: relinquish, forfeit, give up, forgo, foreswear, dispense with, render, throw overboard, waiver, resign, surrender, absolve, exonerate, cede, renounce, abjure

verb

Similar: abandon, abdicate, abjure, cede, dismiss, disregard, dissolve, forgo, give up, let go, put aside, relinquish, renounce, surrender, terminate, yield · Opposite: accept, admit, approve, submit

verb

Similar: abandon, abdicate, abjure, cede, dismiss, disregard, dissolve, forgo, give up, let go, put aside, relinquish, renounce, surrender, terminate, yield · Opposite: accept, admit, approve, submit

Translations

Every language

verb to relinquish; to give up claim to

Españoldispensar, renunciar a, no aplicar, no exigir, prescindir de, exonerar de
Françaisrenoncer à
Deutschverzichten, aufgeben
Italianorinunciare
Русскийотка́зываться otkázyvatʹsja

verb to put aside, avoid

Españolabandonar, dejar de lado
Deutschverlassen, aufgeben
Italianoevitare
Русскийотбрасывать otbrasyvatʹ, отверга́ть otvergátʹ

verb to outlaw

Españolproscribir

verb to abandon, give up

Españolabandonar
Italianoabbandonare

verb to sway

Italianoondeggiare

noun outlawed woman

Italianofuorilegge

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"waive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/waive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

waive. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/waive

Chicago

"waive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/waive.

BibTeX
@misc{waive_2026,
  title = {waive},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/waive},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}