Synonyms

hem and haw

Idioms

Be hesitant and indecisive; avoid committing oneself, as in When asked about their wedding date, she hemmed and hawed, or The President hemmed and hawed about new Cabinet appointments. This expression imitates the sounds of clearing one's throat. [Late 1700s]

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.

See Examples For:

hem and haw

They didn’t hem and haw as if they were conflicted about their damning testimony and betrayed no hint of empathy born from the shared stresses and dangers of police work.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 6, 2021

Most real estate TV quests are partially faked; many times, the couples have already bought the home they pretend to hem and haw over before choosing it in the end.

From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2021

"Winners take bold actions, dominate others and impose their will on the world; losers hem and haw, dither and consult, exercise restraint."

From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2017

Amid all the door-knocking last weekend, most of what voters did was hem and haw.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2015

Hemi is half, hemisphere, hemmed-in, hemlock, hem and haw.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023