hesitate
Americanverb (used without object)
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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.
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to pause.
I hesitated before reciting the next line.
- Antonyms:
- hasten
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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:
One reason for the ECB to hesitate in implementing another rate hike this week may be that the central bank for the 21-nation single currency area faced some criticism for its June increase.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Alexandre Léon, head of the Périgord foie gras association, said that if Chinese imports arrive, customers might hesitate at first but price would ultimately win out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Addressing his wildly speculated about absence, McConnell said: "Folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older".
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Users can often feed the AI intimate details they might hesitate to tell their banks or partners.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
“I fear you would hesitate, and yet you know you are my own—my wife!” he cried, then called for everyone in the house to come up the stairs.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
He hesitates to call what he was doing playing at the professional level.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 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
That is the case for Lucia May, aged four, who hesitates as she looks at skulls peeking from wooden boxes, some still with some hair.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025
He kisses her forehead then goes to kiss her on the lips before she apparently hesitates and they continue dancing.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2025
And then, “Do you see? The second hand still hesitates at the top of the dial.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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
Londoner Chisora - now with 14 defeats - had said beforehand it would be his last fight, but he hesitated to confirm his retirement when joined in the ring by his family.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026
Film and TV have not hesitated either, with Epic Games' tech deployed in Star Wars series "The Mandalorian" and Oscar-winning short film "War is Over".
From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026
While 27 states have agreed to use SAVE, others have hesitated, concerned not only about inaccuracies, but also about privacy and the data’s potential to be used in immigration enforcement.
From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2026
The woman hesitated, and I saw Mom’s eyes narrow again.
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
Keane added: "The penalty is a bit harsh and the referee took so long to look at the screen. You want conviction in the referee's decision and he was hesitating for a long time."
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 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
She suspects the decline is due to people hesitating to buy items that, while still relatively inexpensive, have started to go up in price.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
The highest bid is now 295,000 notes, and the second user is hesitating on raising the bid to 300,000.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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.
