Definition
An ATC instruction directing a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway, align the aircraft with the runway centerline, and hold position until cleared for takeoff. It is not a takeoff clearance.
Plain English
Tower is telling you to roll onto the runway and get straightened out, but stop there and wait. Do not start your takeoff roll until they specifically clear you for takeoff.
Context Anchor
Heard on tower frequency during ground movement before departure, after taxiing to the runway but before takeoff.
Derivation
The phrase says exactly what the pilot must do: line up with the runway, then wait. In the United States, it replaced the older phrase “taxi into position and hold” to match the wording used in many other countries.
Why Pilots Care
Prevents runway conflicts by keeping the aircraft positioned but not moving until the controller confirms the runway is clear.
Intuition Check
Do not hear “line up and wait” as “take off now.” It only means enter the runway and wait; takeoff requires a separate “cleared for takeoff” instruction.
Example Sentence 1
Tower instructed us, 'Cessna 12345, Runway 27, line up and wait,' so we taxied onto the centerline and held position until takeoff clearance was issued.
Example Sentence 2
While holding in the line up and wait position, the pilot watched for landing traffic on final approach.