wait for
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- 1 wait for、await
This verb means to wait for someone or something, often with a sense of anticipation, longing, or continued waiting. It tends to feel more emotionally expressive than the basic verb รอ.
wait for、await
To continue waiting for a person, opportunity, event, or other expected arrival, often with anticipation or longing.
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วันที่รอคอยมาถึงแล้ว wan thîi rɔɔ khɔɔy maa thʉ̌ŋ lɛ́ɛw The long-awaited day has arrived. วันที่รอคอยมาถึงแล้ว details
Learning notes
Explanation
รอคอย combines รอ and คอย, two words associated with waiting. Together they convey sustained, purposeful waiting for a particular person, opportunity, day, piece of news, or other expected event. The feeling does not have to be positive. The word can express hopeful anticipation, but it can also describe waiting with loneliness, uncertainty, or concern. In วันที่รอคอย, meaning “the long-awaited day,” รอคอย follows and describes วันที่ (“day”).
Usage
It is commonly used when waiting for someone to return, anticipating an important opportunity or news, or looking forward to a special day. Its emotional tone also makes it common in love songs, stories, speeches, and other expressive language.
Caution
For ordinary requests such as “wait a moment” or “wait here,” รอ is normally more natural. รอคอย can make the waiting sound prolonged or emotionally significant. Also, although คอย by itself has other uses, such as continually watching or attending to something, รอคอย as a unit normally means “to wait for.”
Differences from similar words
1 wait for synonyms
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รอ is the ordinary, everyday verb “to wait” and works naturally even for a brief delay. รอคอย more readily suggests continued waiting or emotional anticipation directed toward someone or something.