Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To pause or wait in uncertainty.
- intransitive verb To be slow to act, speak, or decide.
- intransitive verb To be reluctant.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To hold back in doubt or indecision; refrain or delay by reason of uncertainty or difficulty of decision or choice: as, he hesitated to believe the report; they hesitate about taking so dangerous a step.
- To halt or falter in speech, through indecision or embarrassment; make irregular involuntary pauses; stammer.
- Synonyms Waver, etc. (see
scruple ); delay, vacillate, deliberate, doubt, be undetermined, demur. - See
stammner . - To utter or express with hesitation or reluctantly; insinuate dubiously.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination
- intransitive verb To stammer; to falter in speaking.
- transitive verb Poetic & R. To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb intransitive To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.
- verb intransitive To stammer; to falter in speaking.
- verb transitive, poetic, rare To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
- verb pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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COMEY: The only reason I hesitate is it was never Director
Balkinization 2007
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COMEY: The only reason I hesitate is it was never Director Mueller's job or position to be drawing a legal conclusion about the program; that he was very supportive to me personally.
Balkinization 2007
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COMEY: The reason I hesitate is I don't know that the Department of Justice's certification was required by statute -- in fact, it was not, as far as I know -- or by regulation, but that it was the practice in this particular program, when it was renewed, that the attorney general sign off as to its legality.
Balkinization 2007
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COMEY: The reason I hesitate is I don't know that the Department of Justice's certification was required by statute -- in fact, it was not, as far as I know -- or by regulation, but that it was the practice in this particular program, when it was renewed, that the attorney general sign off as to its legality.
Balkinization 2007
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COMEY: The only reason I hesitate is it was never Director
Balkinization 2007
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COMEY: Well, the only reason I hesitate is that I'm no presidential scholar.
Balkinization 2007
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COMEY: The only reason I hesitate is it was never Director Mueller's job or position to be drawing a legal conclusion about the program; that he was very supportive to me personally.
Balkinization 2007
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COMEY: The only reason I hesitate is it was never Director
Balkinization 2007
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COMEY: Well, the only reason I hesitate is that I'm no presidential scholar.
Balkinization 2007
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COMEY: The only reason I hesitate is it was never Director Mueller's job or position to be drawing a legal conclusion about the program; that he was very supportive to me personally.
Balkinization 2007
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