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- 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
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| 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
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| related words: |
doubt, stagger, stammer, stumble, suspend, sway, tarry, vacillate, wait |
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| derivation: |
hesitatingly (adv.) |
Hesitate is from a Latin word that means "to stick, cling, or hold back."
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