hesitate
Americanverb (used without object)
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hesitates,
present (3rd person singular)
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hesitated,
past participle, past
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hesitating
present participle
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to be reluctant or wait to act because of fear, indecision, or disinclination.
She hesitated to take the job.
- Antonyms:
- decide
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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
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to hold back or be slow in acting; be uncertain
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to be unwilling or reluctant (to do something)
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to stammer or pause in speaking
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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hesitaternoun
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hesitationnoun
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hesitatornoun
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prehesitateverb (used without object)
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hesitativeadjective
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hesitatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hesitatesimple
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hesitatessimple
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have hesitatedperfect
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has hesitatedperfect
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am hesitatingprogressive
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are hesitatingprogressive
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is hesitatingprogressive
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have been hesitatingperfect progressive
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has been hesitatingperfect progressive
Past
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hesitatedsimple
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had hesitatedperfect
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was hesitatingprogressive
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were hesitatingprogressive
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had been hesitatingperfect progressive
Future
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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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:
While I am not agreeing with Mr. Lederman’s essay, I would imagine that Cornell students who have any views about potential differences between men and women will hesitate before stating them publicly at this point.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
When asked who stood out at practice, Redick didn’t hesitate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
They have prompted Health Secretary Yvette Cooper to say she "will not hesitate" to hold the system to account at every level.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
He said he wouldn’t hesitate to act if the inflation picture worsened.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
I ease my hand out of Mom’s and hesitate at the door.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
He hesitates to call what he was doing playing at the professional level.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
The Fed typically hesitates to respond to price spikes caused by changes in energy prices, which are known for being bumpy, but she said the persistent overshoot might make that "harder to do this time".
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
“I’ve got one or two things around that I think would work — maybe,” he hesitates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026
Most people recognize the familiar situation at a restaurant or dinner party when one plate arrives early and the person served hesitates to start eating.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 12, 2026
Seven hesitates to move, and since he’s hesitant, Sekani is too.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
Software engineer Simon Martin, 44, who lives in Ancoats, recounted how a cab driver told him he would have hesitated once to pick him up, when the area was riddled with crime.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
When that understanding broke down, Saudi Arabia, focused on Iran, hesitated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
But, even so, she hesitated for years before speaking out, partly because she "really, really" doesn't want to hurt people.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Family described him as a kind and humble man who worked hard and never hesitated to help others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
I hesitated, and Colton said, “We’ll all go.”
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
In some cases, such as in Rotherham, police were accused of hesitating to act out of fear of being seen as racist.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
They held them up to the light, pressed them between their fingers, hesitating — until, one by one, they took a bite.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
That removed a near-term overhang on the stock, but private lenders are hesitating to back its plans, according to Schwartz.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 25, 2026
“Executives are realizing that their target demographics may be hesitating a bit with spending, so they’re less cavalier about passing through higher prices.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
He went to the market, then, and bought two pounds of pork and watched the butcher as he wrapped it in a dried lotus leaf, and then, hesitating, he bought also six ounces of beef.
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
