dither

American  

[dith-er] / ˈdɪð ər /

noun

1. a trembling; vibration.

2. a state of flustered excitement or fear.

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verb (used without object)

1. to act irresolutely; vacillate.

2. North England. to tremble with excitement or fear.

dither British  

/ ˈdɪðə /

verb

1. to be uncertain or indecisive

2. to be in an agitated state

3. to tremble, as with cold

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noun

1. a state of indecision

2. a state of agitation

Other Word Forms

• ditherer noun
• dithery adjective

Etymology

Origin of dither

1640–50; variant of didder ( late Middle English diddere ); dodder ¹

Example Sentences

I’d dithered over what to tell her until it was time for bed.

From Literature

Also speaking on The Sunday Show, Swinney called on the UK government to "stop dithering" and "get on with taking some decision" about reducing energy costs.

From BBC

While the UK was "dithering", the US, Greece and France have all sent ships to Cyprus, she said.

From BBC

Beirut dithered away all of 2025 while U.S. envoy Tom Barrack pleaded with it to disarm Hezbollah.

From The Wall Street Journal

The air force had flagged the need for new advanced fighter aircraft 25 years ago, but successive governments dithered on the purchase.

From The Wall Street Journal