Wait state

A wait state is a pause in the CPU's (central processing unit's) clock cycles while it waits for data from slower devices. The wait state is idle cycles required by the computer's processor because it has a higher clock speed than other components, like the computer's memory. For example, when the CPU requests data from RAM (random-access memory), it's placed into the address bus and the CPU enters a wait state until it gets the data. While in the wait state, the CPU cannot execute any further instructions for the task being processed because it's missing the information required to complete the task.

Because computer internals all operate at different speeds, it is normal for a processor to enter short wait states that are unnoticeable to the user. In fact, the processor spends a lot of its time in a wait state. If a computer freezes, it could be caused by the CPU being in a wait state or other reasons.

CPU terms, Idle, Latency, Queue, Standby, Suspended, Timeout, Transition, Wait, Zero wait state