hesitate
verb (used without object)
to be reluctant or wait to act because of fear, indecision, or disinclination.
had been hesitating
-
past perfect progressiveof hesitate.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The admiral had been hesitating as to whether to risk his precious battleships any longer; No. 4 shell made it unnecessary for him to make up his mind.
From Time Magazine Archive
She came in at last, after so long an interval that he wondered whether she had been hesitating.
From The American by Henry James
Then Uya, who had been hesitating, roared with rage, and whirling his fists plunged into the water.
From Tales of Space and Time by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
If there were those who had been hesitating about joining either of the troops, a decision must certainly follow the first glimpse of those gallant uniforms.
From The Banner Boy Scouts Or, The Struggle for Leadership by George A. Warren
Ashbel, who had been hesitating through hope, vented a jeering laugh.
From Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise by David Graham Phillips
