HESITATE

hesitate, waver, waffle

(verb) pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness; “Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures”

hesitate, pause

(verb) interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing; “The speaker paused”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

hesitate (third-person singular simple present hesitates, present participle hesitating, simple past and past participle hesitated)

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

(intransitive) To stammer; to falter in speaking.

(transitive, poetic, rare) To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.

• Alexander Pope

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See English catenative verbs

Synonyms

• (to stop respecting decision or action): demur, falter, mammer, scruple, waver; see also hesitate

• (to falter in speaking): balbucinate, balbutiate, falter, hem, haw, stammer, stutter

• (to utter with hesitation): falter

Anagrams

• athetise, hatesite

Source: Wiktionary

Hes"i*tate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Hesitated; p. pr. & vb. n. Hesitating.] Etym: [L. haesitatus, p. p. of haesitare, intens. fr. haerere to hesitate, stick fast; to hang or hold fast. Cf. Aghast, Gaze, Adhere.]

1. To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination; as, he hesitated whether to accept the offer or not; men often hesitate in forming a judgment. Pope.

2. To stammer; to falter in speaking.

Syn.

– To doubt; waver; scruple; deliberate; demur; falter; stammer.

Hes"i*tate, v. t.

Definition: To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner. [Poetic & R.] Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike. Pope.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition