hesitate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to be reluctant or wait to act because of fear, indecision, or disinclination.
She hesitated to take the job.
- Antonyms:
- decide
-
to have scruples or doubts; be unwilling.
He hesitated to break the law.
-
to pause.
I hesitated before reciting the next line.
- Antonyms:
- hasten
-
to falter in speech; stammer.
Embarrassment caused the speaker to hesitate.
verb
-
to hold back or be slow in acting; be uncertain
-
to be unwilling or reluctant (to do something)
-
to stammer or pause in speaking
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hesitate
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin haesitātus “faltered,” past participle of haesitāre “to falter”; see hesitant
Explanation
To hesitate is to pause before doing something, often out of concern or worry. If you're playing basketball and have a wide-open shot but don't take it right away, you hesitated. Maybe you felt too much pressure to shoot the ball. When people are nervous or worried, they tend to hesitate. Hesitating while speaking is common. In class, if you're not sure you have the right answer, you'll hesitate. When giving bad news, people often hesitate. Sometimes it makes sense to hesitate and sometimes you just need to do what you have to do.
Vocabulary lists containing hesitate
List 3
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"Fears and Phobias," Vocabulary from the article
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Frindle
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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.
When food was available, they did not hesitate to feed on the remains of dead animals, even down to the last scraps.
From Science Daily • May 5, 2026
McKinney wouldn’t hesitate to protect the city’s residents, “regardless of who’s in the White House.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
However she added that she would "not hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so."
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
Still, when the time came for the Rams to make the 13th overall pick, they didn’t hesitate.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
I hesitate, then put the doll with the other items in the crate and bring it all up to the man in the knit cap.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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.
