English
Etymology
From Latin haesitatus, p.p. of
haesitare, intens. fr. haerere to hesitate, stick fast;
to hang or hold fast. Cf. Aghast, Gaze,
Adhere.
Pronunciation
IPA|/�h�zɪteɪt/
Intransitive verb
rfc-trverb|Intransitive verb
en-verb|hesitat|ing
- To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.
#: he hesitated whether to accept the offer or not; men often hesitate in forming a judgment. Pope.
- To stammer; to falter in speaking.
Usage notes
This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs
Synonyms
doubt
waver
scruple
deliberate
demur
falter
stammer
Derived terms
hesitation
Translations
trans-top|To stop or pause respecting decision or action
Czech: váhat
Dutch: aarzelen
Danish: tøve, nøle, vakle, have/nære betænkeligheder
Finnish: epäröidä, aikailla, empiä, viivytellä, vitkastella
German: zögern
trans-mid
Kurdish: KUchar|د��دڵ ب���
Polish: waha� si�
Russian: колеба���� (kol'ebát'sa) impf, медли�� (m'édlit') impf, �омнева���� (somn'evát's'a) impf
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trans-top|To stammer; to falter in speaking
Danish: stamme, hakke i det
Finnish: epäröidä
German: zögern
trans-mid
Polish: j�ka� si�
Russian: запина���� (zapinát's'a) impf, запн����� (zapnút's'a) pf; заика���� (zaikát's'a) impf, заикн����� (zaiknút's'a) pf
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checktrans-top
ttbc|Chinese Characters: �
ttbc|Latin: dubitare
trans-mid
ttbc|Serbian: kolebati, �asiti
ttbc|Spanish: dudar
ttbc|Swedish: tveka
ttbc|Hebrew: ��סס
trans-bottom
Transitive verb
en-verb|hesitat|ing
- To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner. [Poetic & R.]
#:Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike.<br>Pope.
de:hesitate
fa:hesitate
fr:hesitate
io:hesitate
it:hesitate
hu:hesitate
ja:hesitate
ru:hesitate
fi:hesitate
ta:hesitate
vi:hesitate
zh:hesitate
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