Hesitate

//ˈhɛz.ə.teɪt// verb

verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination. intransitive

    "He hesitated whether to accept the offer or not; men often hesitate in forming a judgment."

  2. 2
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness wordnet
  3. 3
    To stammer; to falter in speaking. intransitive
  4. 4
    interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing wordnet
  5. 5
    To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner. poetic, rare, transitive

    "Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike."

Synonyms

All synonyms
boggledelaydeliberatedemurfaltermammer

Example

More examples

"Reporters do not hesitate to intrude into people's privacy."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin haesitātus, perfect passive participle of haesitō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), intensive of haereō (“to hesitate, stick fast; to hang or hold fast”). Displaced native Old English wandian. Compare French hésiter.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.