student asking question

What does "wait around for nothing" mean? Is "for nothing" used commonly?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Wait around for nothing" means to wait for something or someone with an expectation but it never happens. Monica tells Joey that she doesn't want to wait for Chandler to propose, especially if he doesn't have any plans to propose. This is a fairly common expression. Ex: She can't wait around for nothing. She wants to start a family and he doesn't. Ex: I can't wait around for nothing. Ex: We can't wait around for nothing. She is obviously not coming.

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