hesitate

hes·i·tate

H0171800 (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.

hesitate

(ˈhɛzɪˌteɪt) vb (intr) 1. to hold back or be slow in acting; be uncertain2. 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

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.

hesitate

Past participle: hesitated
Gerund: hesitating

Imperative
hesitate
hesitate

Present
I hesitate
you hesitate
he/she/it hesitates
we hesitate
you hesitate
they hesitate

Preterite
I hesitated
you hesitated
he/she/it hesitated
we hesitated
you hesitated
they hesitated

Present Continuous
I am hesitating
you are hesitating
he/she/it is hesitating
we are hesitating
you are hesitating
they are hesitating

Present Perfect
I have hesitated
you have hesitated
he/she/it has hesitated
we have hesitated
you have hesitated
they have hesitated

Past Continuous
I was hesitating
you were hesitating
he/she/it was hesitating
we were hesitating
you were hesitating
they were hesitating

Past Perfect
I had hesitated
you had hesitated
he/she/it had hesitated
we had hesitated
you had hesitated
they had hesitated

Future
I will hesitate
you will hesitate
he/she/it will hesitate
we will hesitate
you will hesitate
they will hesitate

Future Perfect
I will have hesitated
you will have hesitated
he/she/it will have hesitated
we will have hesitated
you will have hesitated
they will have hesitated

Future Continuous
I will be hesitating
you will be hesitating
he/she/it will be hesitating
we will be hesitating
you will be hesitating
they will be hesitating

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been hesitating
you have been hesitating
he/she/it has been hesitating
we have been hesitating
you have been hesitating
they have been hesitating

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been hesitating
you will have been hesitating
he/she/it will have been hesitating
we will have been hesitating
you will have been hesitating
they will have been hesitating

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been hesitating
you had been hesitating
he/she/it had been hesitating
we had been hesitating
you had been hesitating
they had been hesitating

Conditional
I would hesitate
you would hesitate
he/she/it would hesitate
we would hesitate
you would hesitate
they would hesitate

Past Conditional
I would have hesitated
you would have hesitated
he/she/it would have hesitated
we would have hesitated
you would have hesitated
they would have hesitated

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	hesitate - pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness; "Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures"waffle, waverdwell on, linger over - delayboggle - hesitate when confronted with a problem, or when in doubt or fearhover, linger - move to and fro; "The shy student lingered in the corner"hover, oscillate, vacillate, vibrate - be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action; "He oscillates between accepting the new position and retirement"falter, waver - be unsure or weak; "Their enthusiasm is faltering"
	2.	hesitate - interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing; "The speaker paused"pausehem 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"

hesitate

verb1. 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, continue2. 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 determinedQuotations
"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"

hesitate

verbTo be irresolute in acting or doing:dither, falter, halt, pause, shilly-shally, stagger, vacillate, waver, wobble.

Translations

犹豫踌躇不情愿对…犹豫

hesitate

(ˈheziteit) verb1. to pause briefly eg because of uncertainty. He hesitated before answering; The diver hesitated for a minute on the diving-board. 犹豫，踌躇 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. 不情愿，对…犹豫 ˈhesitancy noun the tendency to hesitate. 踌躇ˈhesitant adjective making or having frequent hesitations. a hesitant speaker; I'm hesitant to tell her she's wrong. 犹豫的，踌躇的 ˈhesitantly adverb 犹豫地，踌躇地 ˌhesiˈtation noun1. an act of hesitating. 犹豫，踌躇 2. unwillingness or uncertainty. 不情愿，犹豫

hesitate

→ 犹豫zhCN

hesitate

he who hesitates (is lost)

Those who fail to take quick, decisive action will suffer for it or miss a good opportunity. A: "If only I'd invested in that company when they started up, I'd be a millionaire by now!" B: "Well, he who hesitates is lost." A: "You could have mitigated your losses if you'd dealt with the problem right away, but—" B: "Yeah, yeah, he who hesitates. I know."See also: he, hesitate, who

hesitate over (something)

To delay or stop taking action regarding a particular thing (named after "over"). Sir, we can't hesitate over this issue—the board needs a decision right away!See also: hesitate, over

if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask

A phrase used to encourage one to ask for what they need, usually in a new or unfamiliar setting. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask—we want your first week on the job to go as smoothly as possible. Here's an extra blanket. If there's anything else you need, don't hesitate to ask.See also: anything, ask, hesitate, if

He who hesitates is lost.

Prov. People should act decisively. Jill: Should I apply for that job? At first I thought I definitely should, but now I don't know.... Jane: She who hesitates is lost. Call that girl and ask her out. Call her right now. He who hesitates is lost.See also: he, hesitate, lost, who

hesitate over something

to pause before acting on something; to suspend action about someone or something. We are hesitating over the final decision because we have some doubts about the competitors. Do not hesitate too long over this matter.See also: hesitate, over

If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask.

a polite phrase offering help in finding something or by providing something. (Often said by a host or by someone helping someone settle into something. See also If you don't see what you want, please ask (for it).) Mary: This looks very nice. I'll be quite comfortable here. Jane: If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. "If there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask," said the room clerk.See also: anything, ask, hesitate, if

he who hesitates is lost

One who cannot come to a decision will suffer for it, as in I couldn't make up my mind, and now the offer has expired-he who hesitates is lost. Although the idea is undoubtedly older, the present wording is a misquotation or an adaptation from Joseph Addison's play Cato (1712): "The woman that deliberates is lost." See also: he, hesitate, lost, who

he who ˈhesitates (is ˈlost)

(saying) if you delay in doing something you may lose a good opportunity: You should have applied for that job. I’m sure you would have got it. Remember, he who hesitates...See also: he, hesitate, who

hesitate

hes·i·tate

hesitate

hes•i•tate

hesitate

hesitate

hesitate

hesitate

hesitate

hesitate

he who hesitates (is lost)

hesitate over (something)

if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask

He who hesitates is lost.

hesitate over something

If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask.

he who hesitates is lost

he who ˈhesitates (is ˈlost)

hesitate

Synonyms for hesitate

verb waver

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Antonyms

verb be reluctant

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Synonyms for hesitate

verb to be irresolute in acting or doing

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Synonyms for hesitate

verb pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

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Related Words

verb interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing

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Related Words