hesitate
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hes·i·tate
(hĕz′ĭ-tāt′)intr.v. hes·i·tat·ed, hes·i·tat·ing, hes·i·tates
1. To pause or wait in uncertainty: She hesitated for a second before opening the door.
2. To be slow to act, speak, or decide: "I have for many months hesitated about the propriety of allowing this, or any part of my narrative, to come before the public eye, until after my death" (Thomas De Quincey).
3. To be reluctant: hesitated to pick up the pan, fearing it was hot.
[Latin haesitāre, haesitāt-, to hesitate, frequentative of haerēre, to hold fast.]
hes′i·tat′er n.
hes′i·tat′ing·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
hesitate
(ˈhɛzɪˌteɪt)vb (intr)
1. to hold back or be slow in acting; be uncertain
2. to be unwilling or reluctant (to do something)
3. to stammer or pause in speaking
[C17: from Latin haesitāre, from haerēre to cling to]
ˈhesiˌtater, ˈhesiˌtator n
ˈhesiˌtatingly adv
ˌhesiˈtation n
ˈhesiˌtative adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
hes•i•tate
(ˈhɛz ɪˌteɪt)v. -tat•ed, -tat•ing. v.i.
1. to be reluctant to act because of fear, indecision, or disinclination.
2. to have scruples or doubts about something.
3. to stop for a moment; pause.
4. to stammer.
v.t. 5. to have scruples or doubts about: He hesitated to break the law.
[1615–25; < Latin haesitātus, past participle of haesitāre to hesitate, falter]
hes′i•tat`er, n.
hes′i•tat`ing•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
hesitate
Past participle: hesitated
Gerund: hesitating
| Imperative |
|---|
| hesitate |
| hesitate |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Verb | 1. | hesitate - pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness; "Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures" dwell on, linger over - delay boggle - hesitate when confronted with a problem, or when in doubt or fear |
| 2. | hesitate - interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing; "The speaker paused" hem and haw - utter `hems' and `haws'; indicated hesitation; "He hemmed and hawed when asked to address the crowd" scruple - hesitate on moral grounds; "The man scrupled to perjure himself" delay - act later than planned, scheduled, or required; "Don't delay your application to graduate school or else it won't be considered" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
hesitate
verb
1. waver, delay, pause, haver (Brit.), wait, doubt, falter, be uncertain, dither (chiefly Brit.), vacillate, equivocate, temporize, hum and haw, shillyshally (informal), swither (Scot. dialect) She hesitated, debating whether to answer the phone.
waver decide, be confident, be firm, be decisive, continue
waver decide, be confident, be firm, be decisive, continue
2. be reluctant, be unwilling, shrink from, think twice, boggle, scruple, demur, hang back, be disinclined, balk or baulk I will not hesitate to take unpopular decisions.
be reluctant resolve, be determined
be reluctant resolve, be determined
Quotations
"You can hesitate before deciding, but not once the decision is made" [José Bergamín El cohete y la estrella]
"You can hesitate before deciding, but not once the decision is made" [José Bergamín El cohete y la estrella]
Proverbs
"He who hesitates is lost"
"He who hesitates is lost"
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
hesitate
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَتَرَدَّديَتَرَدَّدُ
váhatzaváhat
tøve
epäröidä
oklijevati
vonakodik
hika, vera á báîum áttumhika, vera ófús eîa tregur
ためらう
주저하다
dvejodamasdvejojantisdvejojimasdvejotinedrįstantis
svārstītiesvilcināties
obotavljati se
tveka
ลังเลใจ
duraksamaktereddüt etmekçekinmek
do dự
hesitate
[ˈhezɪteɪt] VI (gen) → vacilar; (in speech) → vacilar, titubearto hesitate to do sth → dudar en hacer algo, vacilar en hacer algo
I will not hesitate to take unpopular decisions → no dudaré or vacilaré en tomar decisiones poco populares
I hesitate to call this art → no me atrevo a llamar arte a esto
don't hesitate to ask (me) → no vaciles en pedírmelo, no dejes de pedírmelo
I hesitate to condemn him outright → no me decido a condenarlo del todo
to hesitate before doing sth → dudar antes de hacer algo
to hesitate about or over doing sth → vacilar en hacer algo
he hesitates at nothing → no vacila ante nada
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
hesitate
[ˈhɛzɪteɪt] vi → hésiterto hesitate to do sth → hésiter à faire qch
I would hesitate to say yes at this stage → J'hésiterais à accepter à ce stade.
to not hesitate to do sth → ne pas hésiter à faire qch
He did not hesitate to take action → Il n'hésitait pas à prendre des mesures.
Don't hesitate to contact me → N'hésitez pas à me contacter.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
hesitate
vi → zögern, zaudern (geh); (in speech) → stocken; he who hesitates is lost (Prov) → dem Feigen kehrt das Glück den Rücken (Prov); I hesitate to ask him round → ich bin mir nicht schlüssig, ob ich ihn einladen soll; I’d hesitate to take or at taking on such a task → ich würde es mir gut überlegen, ob ich so eine Aufgabe übernehmen würde; I hesitated about having another baby → ich hatte Bedenken, noch ein Kind zu bekommen; he didn’t hesitate at the idea of leaving home → er zögerte keinen Augenblick, von zu Hause wegzugehen; even he would hesitate at murder → selbst er hätte bei einem Mord Bedenken; he hesitates at nothing → er macht vor nichts halt, er schreckt vor nichts zurück; the President is hesitating over whether to attend the conference → der Präsident ist sich unschlüssig, ob er an der Konferenz teilnehmen soll; I am still hesitating about what I should do → ich bin mir immer noch nicht schlüssig, was ich tun soll; I hesitate to say it, but … → es widerstrebt mir, das zu sagen, aber …; if I did think that, I wouldn’t hesitate to say so → wenn ich wirklich der Meinung (gen) → wäre, hätte ich keine Hemmungen, es zu sagen; don’t hesitate to ask/contact me → fragen Sie mich ruhig/wenden Sie sich ruhig an mich; (more formally) → zögern Sie nicht, mich zu fragen/sich an mich zu wenden
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
hesitate
[ˈhɛzɪˌteɪt] vi → esitareto hesitate to do sth → esitare a fare qc
to hesitate about or over sth → esitare in qc
don't hesitate to ask (me) → non aver timore or paura di chiedere
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
hesitate
(ˈheziteit) verb1. to pause briefly eg because of uncertainty. He hesitated before answering; The diver hesitated for a minute on the diving-board.
2. to be unwilling (to do something) eg because one is not sure it is right. I hesitate to say he lied but he certainly misled me; Don't hesitate to tell me if you have any complaints.
ˈhesitancy noun the tendency to hesitate.
ˈhesitant adjective making or having frequent hesitations. a hesitant speaker; I'm hesitant to tell her she's wrong.
ˈhesitantly adverbˌhesiˈtation noun
1. an act of hesitating.
2. unwillingness or uncertainty.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
hesitate
→ يَتَرَدَّدُ váhat tøve zögern διστάζω vacilar epäröidä hésiter oklijevati esitare ためらう 주저하다 aarzelen nøle zawahać się hesitar колебаться tveka ลังเลใจ duraksamak do dự 犹豫Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
hesitate
v. vacilar, mostrarse indeciso-a;
Don't ___ to call us → No deje, no dejes de llamarnos; no vacile, no vaciles en llamarnos.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012