"wait for the ball to drop" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "An allusion to the Times Square Ball, and perhaps other time balls.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "waits for the ball to drop",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "waiting for the ball to drop",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "waited for the ball to drop",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "waited for the ball to drop",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "wait for the ball to drop (third-person singular simple present waits for the ball to drop, present participle waiting for the ball to drop, simple past and past participle waited for the ball to drop)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To wait in expectation of an occurrence."
      ],
      "id": "en-wait_for_the_ball_to_drop-en-verb-jmvXiH7d",
      "links": [
        [
          "wait",
          "wait"
        ],
        [
          "expectation",
          "expectation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, rare) To wait in expectation of an occurrence."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "wait for the other shoe to drop"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-wait for the ball to drop.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b9/En-au-wait_for_the_ball_to_drop.ogg/En-au-wait_for_the_ball_to_drop.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/En-au-wait_for_the_ball_to_drop.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "wait for the ball to drop"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "An allusion to the Times Square Ball, and perhaps other time balls.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "waits for the ball to drop",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "waiting for the ball to drop",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "waited for the ball to drop",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "waited for the ball to drop",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "wait for the ball to drop (third-person singular simple present waits for the ball to drop, present participle waiting for the ball to drop, simple past and past participle waited for the ball to drop)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "wait for the other shoe to drop"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with rare senses",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To wait in expectation of an occurrence."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "wait",
          "wait"
        ],
        [
          "expectation",
          "expectation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, rare) To wait in expectation of an occurrence."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-wait for the ball to drop.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b9/En-au-wait_for_the_ball_to_drop.ogg/En-au-wait_for_the_ball_to_drop.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/En-au-wait_for_the_ball_to_drop.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "wait for the ball to drop"
}