What does hesitate mean?
Definitions for hesitate
ˈhɛz ɪˌteɪthes·i·tate
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word hesitate.
Princeton's WordNet
hesitate, waver, waffleverb
pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
"Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures"
hesitate, pauseverb
interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
"The speaker paused"
Wiktionary
hesitateverb
To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.
hesitateverb
To stammer; to falter in speaking.
hesitateverb
To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
To HESITATEverb
To be doubtful; to delay; to pause; to make difficulty.
Etymology: hæsito, Latin; hesiter, French.
A spirit of revenge makes him curse the Grecians in the seventh book, when they hesitate to accept Hector’s challenge. William Broome, Notes on the Iliad.
Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike,
Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike;
Alike reserv’d to blame or to commend,
A tim’rous foe, and a suspicious friend. Alexander Pope.
Wikipedia
hesitate
Hesitation or hesitating is the psychological process of pausing in the course of making a decision or taking an action, typically due to uncertainty as to the best course of action. Hesitation is described in both positive and negative terms, with some perceiving it as an indication of thoughtfulness, while others characterize it as a sign of indecisiveness or lack of the will to act. In literature, a period of hesitation on the part of a key character has sometimes been depicted as having substantial consequences.
ChatGPT
hesitate
To hesitate is to pause or delay an action due to uncertainty or feeling unsure about a situation. It can also refer to the act of being indecisive or unwilling to make a decision immediately.
Webster Dictionary
Hesitateverb
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
Hesitateverb
to stammer; to falter in speaking
Hesitateverb
to utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Hesitate
hez′i-tāt, v.i. to stop in making a decision: to be in doubt: to stammer.—v.t. (rare) to express with hesitation.—ns. Hes′itancy, Hesitā′tion, wavering: doubt: stammering.—adj. Hes′itan't, hesitating.—adv. Hes′itātingly.—adj. Hes′itātive, showing hesitation.—n. Hes′itātor, one who hesitates.—adj. Hes′itātory, hesitating. [L. hæsitāre, -ātum, freq. of hærēre, hæsum, to stick.]
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Verbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'hesitate' in Verbs Frequency: #678
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of hesitate in Chaldean Numerology is: 1
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of hesitate in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6
Examples of hesitate in a Sentence
We didn't even hesitate.
We can't predict how the outbreak will progress, and the WHO must keep the situation under frequent review and not hesitate to declare a PHEIC if the situation shows signs of deteriorating.
Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda:
Japan's underlying price trend isn't deteriorating. But some indicators on inflation expectations have been somewhat weak, we won't hesitate adjusting policy, including easing policy, if necessary to achieve our 2 percent price target.
Anyone who knows me knows I would not hesitate to do the same, as would most career IRS public servants, regardless of any political preference, i take very seriously the duty of career civil servants to act with integrity and perform our duties impartially, even at the risk that someone will make a charge of bias.
She seemed to hesitate, and it looked as though she didn’t want to come through the border, at first we thought that there could be drug packages, but gradually discovered that it was a human body.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for hesitate
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- ترددArabic
- заекна, колебая се, чудя се, заеквам, двоумя сеBulgarian
- hesitarCatalan, Valencian
- zaváhat, váhatCzech
- stamme, hakkeDanish
- zögern, stammelnGerman
- vacilar, dudarSpanish
- دریغPersian
- empiä, epäröidä, viivytellä, vitkastella, aikaillaFinnish
- hésiterFrench
- sòrScottish Gaelic
- संकोचHindi
- raguIndonesian
- 躊躇する, ためらうJapanese
- dubitoLatin
- zéckenLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- tawhitawhiMāori
- aarzelenDutch
- nøleNorwegian
- wahać się, jąkać sięPolish
- hesitarPortuguese
- iskayyayQuechua
- pregeta, șovăi, codi, ezitaRomanian
- запнуться, запинаться, медлить, заикнуться, сомневаться, колебаться, заикатьсяRussian
- tvekaSwedish
- ลังเลThai
- çekinmek, kararsız kalmakTurkish
- вагатисьUkrainian
- 迟疑Chinese
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