SYNONYMS | EXAMPLES | WORD ORIGIN adjective faltering or hesitating, especially in speech.
faulty or imperfect.
limping or lame: a halting gait.
Origin of halting late Middle English word dating back to
1375–1425; see origin at
halt2 ,
-ing2 Related forms halt·ing·ly , adverb halt·ing·ness , noun un·halt·ing , adjective un·halt·ing·ly , adverb verb (used without object) to stop; cease moving, operating, etc., either permanently or temporarily: They halted for lunch and strolled about.
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verb (used with object) to cause to stop temporarily or permanently; bring to a stop: They halted operations during contract negotiations.
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noun a temporary or permanent stop.
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interjection (used as a command to stop and stand motionless, as to marching troops or to a fleeing suspect.)
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Origin of halt 1 1615–25; from the phrase
make halt for
German halt machen. See
hold1 verb (used without object) to falter, as in speech, reasoning, etc.; be hesitant; stumble.
to be in doubt; waver between alternatives; vacillate.
Archaic to be lame; walk lamely; limp.
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noun Archaic lameness; a limp.
(used with a plural verb ) lame people, especially severely lamed ones (usually preceded by the ): the halt and the blind.
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Origin of halt 2 before 900; Middle English; Old English healt; cognate with Old High German halz, Old Norse haltr, Gothic halts, akin to Latin clādēs damage, loss
Related forms halt·less , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for halting clumsy ,
labored ,
awkward ,
tentative ,
stumbling ,
bumbling ,
vacillating ,
lumbering ,
slow ,
wavering ,
faltering ,
doubtful ,
gauche ,
imperfect ,
indecisive ,
inept ,
irresolute ,
maladroit ,
uncertain ,
wooden Examples from the Web for halting Contemporary Examples of halting The regime, meanwhile, has its own incentives for halting the violence in the city.
What potential damage has the halting of research on psychedelics caused?
And then Sotloff is presented to the camera and Obama is challenged to save him by halting the bombing.
In the longer term, she sees big strides in preventing tartar build-up and halting receding gums.
After four years of a halting recovery, Bernanke said, things are looking up.
Historical Examples of halting Suddenly she said in a low, halting tone, "Miss Harlowe, if you knew how—"
Inspector Burke himself filled the void in the halting sentence.
There was no halting over the tiny vials, for she had decided just what she must do.
It would seem that Peppajee understood, even though his speech was halting .
Great enterprises are not pushed through in this halting fashion.
British Dictionary definitions for halting adjective hesitant halting speech
lame
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Derived Forms haltingly , adverb haltingness , noun noun an interruption or end to activity, movement, or progress
mainly British a minor railway station, without permanent buildings
call a halt to put an end (to something); stop
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noun , sentence substitute a command to halt, esp as an order when marching
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verb to come or bring to a halt
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Word Origin for halt C17: from the phrase to make halt, translation of German halt machen, from halten to hold 1 , stop
verb (intr) (esp of logic or verse) to falter or be defective
to waver or be unsure
archaic to be lame
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adjective archaic lame (as collective noun; preceded by the ) the halt Show More
Word Origin for halt Old English healt lame; related to Old Norse haltr, Old High German halz lame, Greek kólos maimed, Old Slavonic kladivo hammer
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
Word Origin and History for halting n. "act of limping or walking lamely," early 14c., verbal noun from halt (v.). Related: Haltingly .
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n. "a stop, a halting," 1590s, from French halte (16c.) or Italian alto , ultimately from German Halt , imperative from Old High German halten "to hold" (see hold (v.)). A German military command borrowed into the Romanic languages 16c. The verb in this sense is from 1650s, from the noun. Related: Halted ; halting .
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adj. "lame," in Old English lemphalt "limping," from Proto-Germanic *haltaz (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian halt , Old Norse haltr , Old High German halz , Gothic halts "lame"), from PIE *keld- , from root *kel- "to strike, cut," with derivatives meaning "something broken or cut off" (cf. Russian koldyka "lame," Greek kolobos "broken, curtailed"). The noun meaning "one who limps; the lame collectively" is from c.1200.
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v. "to walk unsteadily," early 14c., from Old English haltian "to be lame," from the same source as halt (adj.). The meaning "make a halt" is 1650s, from halt (n.). As a command word, attested from 1796. Related: Halted ; halting .
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with halting see call a halt; come to a halt; grind to a halt.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
