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
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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
"You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older," the statement read.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
“When John Oliver publicly threw down the gauntlet and said he wanted to appear on a soap, we didn’t hesitate for a second,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Briggs, when asked whether the cost was worth it, didn’t hesitate.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
I hesitate, not sure that I want to tell her more than I already have.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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
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
Karl blinks, hesitates, and then a flicker of understanding passes over his face.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
He hesitated before adding, “And you’ll have to call my college. Tell them I won’t be able to attend.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
During some calls, Sheinbaum hasn’t hesitated to interrupt Trump to clarify issues of relevance for Mexico.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
"He never hesitated to stop, acknowledge, and share a moment with someone on the street."
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 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
I hesitated for a few seconds, almost losing my nerve.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
A young man in his 20s, with wonder: “I would trade my Canadian passport for American citizenship without hesitating a single second. Some states have no state income tax.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 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
Although police still can use less-lethal weapons to contain unruly demonstrators, the city claimed the rules put officers at risk of hesitating in chaotic situations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2026
Milo studied Yossarian diffidently through the corner of his eye, hesitating tactfully.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
