# hesitate

Pronunciation: say "HEZ-uh-tayt" US /ˈhɛz.ə.teɪt/, AUS /ˈhez.ə.tæɪt/; UK say "HEZ-i-tayt" /ˈhɛz.ɪ.teɪt/

## Verb

1. To pause before acting or deciding, held back by uncertainty or doubt.
   - Simple: To wait before doing or deciding something because you are not sure.
   - _He hesitated at the edge of the diving board, unsure whether to jump._
   - _Investors hesitate when the market signals are unclear._
2. To falter or stumble in speech, pausing or stammering while trying to get the words out.
   - Simple: To pause or stumble while speaking because you feel unsure or nervous.
   - _She hesitated mid-sentence, searching for the right word._
   - _Nervous speakers often hesitate when they lose their train of thought._

## Verb

3. To utter something with hesitation, or to hint at it through a reluctant, faltering manner. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To say something in a slow, unsure way, or to hint at it without really wanting to.

## Origin

Borrowed from Latin haesitātus, the perfect passive participle of haesitō, an intensive form of haereō ("to stick fast; to hold fast"). It displaced the native Old English wandian and is comparable to French hésiter.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/hesitate (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).