to wave
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to wave
To raise the hand and move it back and forth as a greeting, to say goodbye, or as a signal.
Sie stand am Bahnsteig und winkte, bis der Zug nicht mehr zu sehen war.
She stood on the platform and waved until the train could no longer be seen.
to wave over
To signal to someone with a hand movement to come closer or to do something specific.
Der Polizist winkte den Autofahrer an den Straßenrand.
The police officer waved the driver over to the side of the road.
to await
To be in prospect as a reward, prize, or positive consequence.
Dem Sieger des Wettbewerbs winkt ein Preisgeld von 10.000 Euro.
A cash prize of 10,000 euros awaits the winner of the competition.
With the hand movement, the case is important: you wave to 'jemandem' (someone, dative) in order to greet them. But you wave 'jemanden' (someone, accusative) toward you or to a place in order to give them a signal.
Ich habe meinem Freund zum Abschied gewinkt.
I waved goodbye to my friend.
To make the purpose of waving clear, it is often combined with prepositions. Typical phrases are 'zum Gruß winken' (to wave in greeting) or 'zum Abschied winken' (to wave goodbye).
Die Kinder winkten dem Weihnachtsmann aufgeregt zu.
The children excitedly waved to Santa Claus.
In the figurative meaning, the reward or opportunity is the subject of the sentence. The person who receives the opportunity is in the dative. This structure is used only for this figurative meaning.
Den Gewinnern winkt eine Reise nach Paris.
A trip to Paris awaits the winners.
to wait / maintain
A reward can warten auf someone or winken at someone. With „warten“, the person follows „auf“ in the accusative; „winken“ uses the person in the dative and presents the reward as a positive prospect. Both forms can express the same expectation from different perspectives.
Nach dem erfolgreichen Abschluss winkt dir eine Prämie.
After successfully completing the program, a bonus awaits you.
Nach dem erfolgreichen Abschluss wartet eine Prämie auf dich.
After successfully completing the program, a bonus is waiting for you.
