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Synonyms

hem and haw

Idioms  

  1. 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.

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

He’d rather hem and haw, leaving everybody in limbo, than deliver bad news.

From Washington Post • Nov. 29, 2017

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

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.