halting
Americanadjective
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faltering or hesitating, especially in speech.
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faulty or imperfect.
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limping or lame.
a halting gait.
adjective
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hesitant
halting speech
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lame
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of halting
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at halt 2, -ing 2
Explanation
The adjective halting is used to describe something that is fragmentary or prone to interruptions. If you are overcome with emotion at your wedding, you may choke out your vows in a halting voice. The adjective halting can describe something or someone with limping or disabled legs or feet. If you have sprained your ankle and it's icy out this winter, you will probably walk with a halting gait and walk slowly and carefully. The word halting in this sense comes from the Old English word lemphalt, which means "limping."
Vocabulary lists containing halting
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Much Ado About Nothing
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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.
Instead, they expect a prolonged series of halting starts and stops to the conflict, causing flows through the Strait of Hormuz to continuously fluctuate.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
As halting and awkward as they may have been, early archival documentaries required considerable advances in cinematic technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Provincial capital Hangzhou resumed subway services on Monday morning, after halting some train operations on Sunday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Her move on the council floor Tuesday called for halting cold-storage companies like Lineage from doing business in the Boyle Heights area for up to two years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Satin’s voice was sweet as song, Horse’s hoarse and halting, Arron’s a nervous squeak.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
