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hesitate

hes·i·tate

hesitate

 
 
pronunciation:
he zih teIt
features:
Word Combinations (verb), Word History, Grammatical Patterns
part of speech: intransitive verb
inflections: hesitates, hesitating, hesitated
definition 1: to refrain momentarily from carrying out some action; pause in uncertainty.
He hesitated for a moment before diving into the water.
synonyms:
boggle, falter
similar words:
balk, halt, halt, hang, pause, stall, waver
definition 2: to be slow or unwilling to act due to doubt or fear; feel reluctant.
Why are you hesitating? Go ahead and call her!She hesitated to ask the question, fearing her husband's anger.[verb + infinitive ]
synonyms:
temporize, vacillate
similar words:
balk, delay, dilly-dally, dither, falter, halt, procrastinate, pussyfoot, scruple, shilly-shally, stall, waver
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
derivation: hesitatingly (adv.)
Word History
Hesitate is from a Latin word that means "to stick, cling, or hold back."