dither
a trembling; vibration.
a state of flustered excitement or fear.
to act irresolutely; vacillate.
North England. to tremble with excitement or fear.
Origin of dither
1Other words from dither
- dith·er·er, noun
- dith·er·y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use dither in a sentence
Instead, it dithered as faulty ignition switches killed customers.
But as time went on, and as President Obama dithered, opposition to Summers began to bubble up from within the Democratic Party.
The Larry Summers Whodunit: Who Killed His Shot at Running the Fed? | Daniel Gross | September 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAs the two factions step up their war of rhetoric, the West has dithered.
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, master of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, dithered about which of his sons to run for Sephardi chief rabbi.
The only question is whether, having dithered for so long, the lawmakers can beat the default deadline of midnight Tuesday.
Walter and Carl looked at one another inquiringly; the others dithered helplessly.
Hunter Patrol | Henry Beam Piper and John J. McGuireHe could hardly nod his ugly head for the trembling of his body, and I fairly dithered as I knelt on him.
The Yeoman Adventurer | George W. GoughHe stood before the giant, wall-sized glassed-in refrigerator and dithered over the energy-drinks.
Makers | Cory DoctorowShe dithered for a moment, then stepped back toward the kitchen and the stairwell.
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town | Cory DoctorowHe kept the centre of the road, and accelerated his engine till the car dithered and vibrated from end to end.
King of Ranleigh | F. S. (Frederick Sadlier) Brereton
British Dictionary definitions for dither
/ (ˈdɪðə) /
mainly British to be uncertain or indecisive
mainly US to be in an agitated state
to tremble, as with cold
mainly British a state of indecision
a state of agitation
Origin of dither
1Derived forms of dither
- ditherer, noun
- dithery, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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