hesitate

American

[hez-i-teyt] / ˈhɛz ɪˌteɪt /

verb (used without object)

hesitated, hesitating

to be reluctant or wait to act because of fear, indecision, or disinclination.

She hesitated to take the job.

Synonyms:

falter, vacillate, waver

Antonyms:

decide
to have scruples or doubts; be unwilling.

He hesitated to break the law.
to pause.

I hesitated before reciting the next line.

Synonyms:

delay, demur

Antonyms:

hasten
to falter in speech; stammer.

Embarrassment caused the speaker to hesitate.

hesitate British

/ ˈhɛzɪˌteɪt /

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

hesitater noun
hesitatingly adverb
hesitation noun
hesitative adjective
hesitator noun
prehesitate verb (used without object)

Etymology

Origin of hesitate

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin haesitātus “faltered,” past participle of haesitāre “to falter”; hesitant

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