English · Phrasal verb Candidate

wait up

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To stay awake waiting for somebody to return.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

ở thức chờ ai đó trở về

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Anyway, Dad waited up for them. It must have been about midnight when they came in.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To wait.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

chờ đợi

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

What does “wait up” mean?

To stay awake waiting for somebody to return.

Is “wait up” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.