← Back to Fala2Me

open-ended wait

[ˈoʊpən ˈɛndɪd weɪt]
nounpl: open-ended waits
espera indefinida / espera sem prazo determinado
1. A period of waiting with no specified end time or duration; an indefinite delay without a clear endpoint
The customer was put on an open-ended wait with no estimate of when someone would be available.
O cliente foi colocado em uma espera indefinida sem estimativa de quando alguém estaria disponível.
2. A situation where the duration of waiting is uncertain or potentially unlimited
After the surgery was delayed, patients faced an open-ended wait for updates.
Após o adiamento da cirurgia, os pacientes enfrentaram uma espera sem prazo determinado por atualizações.
NYC Slang
stuck waiting / hanging in limbo
Synonyms
indefinite waituncertain waitindeterminate waitunspecified waitwaiting period without end time
Antonyms
fixed-time waitspecified waittimed waitdefinite waitclosed-ended wait

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
espera indefinida / espera sem prazo
Most common usage in Brazilian Portuguese
São Paulo
espera aberta / espera sem fim determinado
Common in business and customer service contexts
Portugal
espera indeterminada / espera sem termo
Formal usage in European Portuguese

Related Idioms & Phrases

left hanging
waiting in limbo
no end in sight
caught in a holding pattern
waiting indefinitely
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →