waived; waiving
1
a
: to relinquish (something, such as a legal right) voluntarily
waive a jury trial
b
: to refrain from pressing or enforcing (something, such as a claim or rule) : forgo
waive the fee
2
: to put off from immediate consideration : postpone
3
[influenced by wave entry 1]
: to dismiss with or as if with a wave of the hand
waived the problem aside
4
: to place (a ball player) on waivers
also
: to release after placing on waivers
5
: to throw away (stolen goods)
7
archaic
: to shunt aside (a danger or duty) : evade
Examples of waive in a Sentence
She waived her right to a lawyer.
The university waives the application fee for low-income students.
Recent Examples on the Web
Biden later waived sanctions against the pipeline's builder at the request of Germany in 2021, but reimposed penalties the following year as Russia invaded Ukraine.
—
Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2024
Smith, who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, has waived a jury trial for this phase.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024
Trump waived his right earlier this week to appear at his arraignment.
—Sareen Habeshian, Axios, 5 Sep. 2024
One caveat: While the IRS was working on clarifying the rules between 2019 and July, the IRS waived the RMD requirements for beneficiaries.
—Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for waive 
Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2024
Smith, who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, has waived a jury trial for this phase.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024
Trump waived his right earlier this week to appear at his arraignment.
—Sareen Habeshian, Axios, 5 Sep. 2024
One caveat: While the IRS was working on clarifying the rules between 2019 and July, the IRS waived the RMD requirements for beneficiaries.
—Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for waive
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'waive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Waive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waive. Accessed 17 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
waive
verb
waived; waiving
1
: to give up claim to
waived her right to answer
2
: to let pass
waive the fee
3
: to dismiss with or as if with a wave of the hand
waived the problem aside
Legal Definition
waive
transitive verb
waived; waiving
1
2
: to refrain from enforcing or requiring
some statutes waive the age requirement—W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.
W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.
waivable
adjective
Etymology
Anglo-French waiver, weiver, literally to abandon, forsake, from waif, weif forlorn, stray, probably from Old Norse veif something loose or flapping
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