Standard Lemma guide

hesitate

verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhɛz.ɪ.teɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈhɛz.ə.teɪt/
  • Australian: /ˈhez.ə.tæɪt/
  • CMU ARPABET: HH EH1 Z AH0 T EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • He hesitated whether to accept the offer or not; men often hesitate in forming a judgment.
  • September 1, 1742, Alexander Pope, letter to Racine I shall not hesitate to declare myself very cordially, in regard to some particulars about which you have desired an answer.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To stammer; to falter in speaking.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: poetic, rare, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: waver, waffle

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: dwell on, linger over, boggle, hover, linger, vibrate, vacillate, oscillate, falter, waver

5

verb

Meaning 5

interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The speaker paused

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pause

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: delay

Narrower terms: hem and haw, scruple

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin haereō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin -tō ▲ Latin -tō Latin -itō Latin -titō Latin haesitō Latin haesitātusbor. English hesitate Borrowed from Latin haesitātus, perfect passive participle of haesitō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), intensive of haereō (“to hesitate, stick fast; to hang or hold fast”). Displaced native Old English wandian. Compare French hésiter.

Across languages

Translations

131 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: druaj — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Arabic: تَرَدَّدَ (taraddada) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Arabic: اتردد (etraded) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Armenian: վարանել (varanel) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Armenian: տատանվել (tatanvel) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Azerbaijani: tərəddüd etmək — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Bashkir: икеләнеү (ikelənew) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Basque: zalantzan egon — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Belarusian: хіста́цца (xistácca) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Belarusian: вага́цца (vahácca) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Bulgarian: колеба́я се (kolebája se) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Bulgarian: двоумя се (dvoumja se) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Bulgarian: чудя се (čudja se) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Catalan: hesitar — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Catalan: dubtar — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Chinese Mandarin: 猶豫 /犹豫 (yóuyù) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Chinese Mandarin: 躊躇 /踌躇 (chóuchú) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Chinese Mandarin: 遲疑 /迟疑 (chíyí) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Czech: váhat — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Dutch: aarzelen — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Egyptian: s-i-in:n-D54 (sjnj) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Esperanto: heziti — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Finnish: epäröidä — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Finnish: aikailla — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Finnish: empiä — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Finnish: viivytellä — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Finnish: vitkastella — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • French: hésiter — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Galician: dubidar — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • German: zögern — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Greek: διστάζω (distázo) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Ancient Greek: ὀκνέω (oknéō) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Ancient Greek: αἰσχύνομαι (aiskhúnomai) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Ancient Greek: φοβέομαι (phobéomai) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Hebrew: היסס (hisés) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Hungarian: tétovázik — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Hungarian: habozik — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Hungarian: hezitál — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Indonesian: ragu — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Italian: esitare — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Italian: titubare — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Japanese: ためらう (tamerau) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Japanese: 躊躇する (chūcho suru) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Japanese: 躊躇う (tamerau) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Kazakh: баяулату (baäulatu) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Kazakh: күмәндану (kümändanu) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Kazakh: бұраландау (būralandau) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Kazakh: дүдәмал болу (düdämal bolu) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Khmer: ទីមទាម (tiimtiəm) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Khmer: ទីទើរ (tiitəə) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Khmer: តេងតាង (teengtaang) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Khmer: ញីញញូញ (ñiiññuuñ) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Khmer: ច្រេញច្រុញ (crəñcroñ) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Khmer: ច្រិមច្រុម (crəmcrom) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Korean: 망설이다 (mangseorida) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Central Kurdish: دوودڵ بوون (dûdill bûn) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Latin: haesitō — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Latin: dubito — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Lithuanian: dvejoti — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Lithuanian: svyruoti — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Luxembourgish: zécken — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Macedonian: се колеба (se koleba) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Māori: tawhitawhi — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Māori: kōrapa — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Norwegian: nøle med å — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nøle — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Old English: wandian — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Polish: wahać się — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Portuguese: hesitar — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Portuguese: vacilar — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Portuguese: titubear — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Quechua: iskayyay — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Romanian: ezita — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Romanian: șovăi — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Romanian: pregeta — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Romanian: a se codi — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Russian: колеба́ться (kolebátʹsja) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Russian: ме́длить (médlitʹ) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Russian: сомнева́ться (somnevátʹsja) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Scots: swither — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Scottish Gaelic: sòr — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Serbo-Croatian: оклевати — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Serbo-Croatian: оклијевати — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Serbo-Croatian: колебати — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Serbo-Croatian: поколебати — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Serbo-Croatian: двоумити — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Serbo-Croatian: нећкати — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Serbo-Croatian: oklevati — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Serbo-Croatian: oklijevati — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Serbo-Croatian: kolebati — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Serbo-Croatian: pokolebati — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Serbo-Croatian: dvoumiti — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Serbo-Croatian: nećkati — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Sicilian: trantulijari — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Slovak: váhať — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Spanish: vacilar — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Spanish: dudar — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Spanish: hesitar — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Spanish: titubear — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Swedish: tveka — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Tagalog: magdalawang-isip — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Tamil: தயங்கு (tayaṅku) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Thai: ลังเล (lang-lee) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Turkish: çekinmek — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Turkish: kararsız kalmak — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Turkish: tereddüt etmek — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Ukrainian: колива́тися (kolyvátysja) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Ukrainian: хита́тися (xytátysja) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Ukrainian: вага́тися (vahátysja) — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Vietnamese: chần chừ — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Vietnamese: do dự — to stop or pause respecting decision or action
  • Bulgarian: заеквам (zaekvam) — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Bulgarian: заекна (zaekna) — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Catalan: titubejar — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Czech: zaváhat — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Danish: stamme — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Danish: hakke i det — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Finnish: epäröidä — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • French: hésiter — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • German: zögern — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • German: stammeln — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Kazakh: кекештену (kekeştenu) — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Kazakh: тұтығу (tūtyğu) — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Polish: jąkać się — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Russian: запина́ться (zapinátʹsja) — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Russian: запну́ться (zapnútʹsja) — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Russian: заика́ться (zaikátʹsja) — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Russian: заикну́ться (zaiknútʹsja) — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Scots: hover — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Tamil: திக்கு (tikku) — to stammer; to falter in speaking
  • Tamil: குழறு (kuḻaṟu) — to stammer; to falter in speaking