diff --git a/go/test/endtoend/onlineddl/scheduler/onlineddl_scheduler_test.go b/go/test/endtoend/onlineddl/scheduler/onlineddl_scheduler_test.go
index a034aa6d65a..cf942de1aa8 100644
--- a/go/test/endtoend/onlineddl/scheduler/onlineddl_scheduler_test.go
+++ b/go/test/endtoend/onlineddl/scheduler/onlineddl_scheduler_test.go
@@ -455,6 +455,19 @@ func testScheduler(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 
+	var originalLockWaitTimeout int64
+	t.Run("set low lock_wait_timeout", func(t *testing.T) {
+		rs, err := primaryTablet.VttabletProcess.QueryTablet("select @@lock_wait_timeout as lock_wait_timeout", keyspaceName, false)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		row := rs.Named().Row()
+		require.NotNil(t, row)
+		originalLockWaitTimeout = row.AsInt64("lock_wait_timeout", 0)
+		require.NotZero(t, originalLockWaitTimeout)
+
+		_, err = primaryTablet.VttabletProcess.QueryTablet("set global lock_wait_timeout=1", keyspaceName, false)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+	})
+
 	// CREATE
 	t.Run("CREATE TABLEs t1, t2", func(t *testing.T) {
 		{ // The table does not exist
@@ -578,6 +591,16 @@ func testScheduler(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.NotEmpty(t, rs.Rows)
 	})
 
+	t.Run("low @@lock_wait_timeout", func(t *testing.T) {
+		defer primaryTablet.VttabletProcess.QueryTablet(fmt.Sprintf("set global lock_wait_timeout=%d", originalLockWaitTimeout), keyspaceName, false)
+
+		t1uuid = testOnlineDDLStatement(t, createParams(trivialAlterT1Statement, ddlStrategy, "vtgate", "", "", false)) // wait
+		t.Run("trivial t1 migration", func(t *testing.T) {
+			onlineddl.CheckMigrationStatus(t, &vtParams, shards, t1uuid, schema.OnlineDDLStatusComplete)
+			checkTable(t, t1Name, true)
+		})
+	})
+
 	forceCutoverCapable, err := capableOf(capabilities.PerformanceSchemaDataLocksTableCapability) // 8.0
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	if forceCutoverCapable {
diff --git a/go/vt/vttablet/onlineddl/executor.go b/go/vt/vttablet/onlineddl/executor.go
index 0d43d52d7f4..db73f67ed64 100644
--- a/go/vt/vttablet/onlineddl/executor.go
+++ b/go/vt/vttablet/onlineddl/executor.go
@@ -979,7 +979,14 @@ func (e *Executor) cutOverVReplMigration(ctx context.Context, s *VReplStream, sh
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	// Set large enough `@@lock_wait_timeout` so that it does not interfere with the cut-over operation.
+	// The code will ensure everything that needs to be terminated by `migrationCutOverThreshold` will be terminated.
+	lockConnRestoreLockWaitTimeout, err := e.initConnectionLockWaitTimeout(ctx, lockConn.Conn, 5*migrationCutOverThreshold)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	defer lockConn.Recycle()
+	defer lockConnRestoreLockWaitTimeout()
 	defer lockConn.Conn.Exec(ctx, sqlUnlockTables, 1, false)
 
 	renameCompleteChan := make(chan error)
@@ -988,6 +995,12 @@ func (e *Executor) cutOverVReplMigration(ctx context.Context, s *VReplStream, sh
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	// Set large enough `@@lock_wait_timeout` so that it does not interfere with the cut-over operation.
+	// The code will ensure everything that needs to be terminated by `migrationCutOverThreshold` will be terminated.
+	renameConnRestoreLockWaitTimeout, err := e.initConnectionLockWaitTimeout(ctx, renameConn.Conn, 5*migrationCutOverThreshold*4)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	defer renameConn.Recycle()
 	defer func() {
 		if !renameWasSuccessful {
@@ -997,6 +1010,8 @@ func (e *Executor) cutOverVReplMigration(ctx context.Context, s *VReplStream, sh
 			}
 		}
 	}()
+	defer renameConnRestoreLockWaitTimeout()
+
 	// See if backend MySQL server supports 'rename_table_preserve_foreign_key' variable
 	preserveFKSupported, err := e.isPreserveForeignKeySupported(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -1260,6 +1275,24 @@ func (e *Executor) initMigrationSQLMode(ctx context.Context, onlineDDL *schema.O
 	return deferFunc, nil
 }
 
+// initConnectionLockWaitTimeout sets the given lock_wait_timeout for the given connection, with a deferred value restoration function
+func (e *Executor) initConnectionLockWaitTimeout(ctx context.Context, conn *connpool.Conn, lockWaitTimeout time.Duration) (deferFunc func(), err error) {
+	deferFunc = func() {}
+
+	if _, err := conn.Exec(ctx, `set @lock_wait_timeout=@@session.lock_wait_timeout`, 0, false); err != nil {
+		return deferFunc, vterrors.Errorf(vtrpcpb.Code_UNKNOWN, "could not read lock_wait_timeout: %v", err)
+	}
+	timeoutSeconds := int64(lockWaitTimeout.Seconds())
+	setQuery := fmt.Sprintf("set @@session.lock_wait_timeout=%d", timeoutSeconds)
+	if _, err := conn.Exec(ctx, setQuery, 0, false); err != nil {
+		return deferFunc, err
+	}
+	deferFunc = func() {
+		conn.Exec(ctx, "set @@session.lock_wait_timeout=@lock_wait_timeout", 0, false)
+	}
+	return deferFunc, nil
+}
+
 // newConstraintName generates a new, unique name for a constraint. Our problem is that a MySQL
 // constraint's name is unique in the schema (!). And so as we duplicate the original table, we must
 // create completely new names for all constraints.