hesitate
Americanverb (used without object)
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hesitates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
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.
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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:
Research has consistently shown that parents often hesitate to share their traumatic experiences with their children.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
In the ones where the culture around the game turns especially ugly, I feel the pen hesitate.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Yet when it comes to building the infrastructure that AI requires, we hesitate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Asked to name his own favorite Brooks film, LeMaire doesn’t hesitate: “Young Frankenstein.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
I hesitate, glancing over at Avery, whose eyes are so big they might pop right out of her face.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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
He hesitates, then says, “You know, that might be a good idea.”
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
But team-mate Olav Kooij did not follow and as the riders hesitated, Waerenskjold sneaked through a gap beside the barriers to launch a counter-attack with 400m remaining.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 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
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
Nhamo hesitated, holding the clay pot with Mother’s picture inside.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
But experts have worried that doctors are hesitating to offer treatment without an ironclad diagnosis, which clinicians say can take time and increase risks to the mother.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
"I'm hesitating because I'm speaking on behalf of other people and that's very difficult to do," he said.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
DSA-LA member Anna Gross argued that neither candidate was ideal, with Huang, who has little political experience, being a long shot and Raman hesitating to fully embrace the group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 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
I found myself hesitating outside my own window, suddenly wanting nothing more than to crawl back into my tiny room and pretend none of this was happening.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
