hesitate

hesitate — verb

1. to slow down or stop briefly when you are about to say or do something, usually

1.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

to slow down or stop briefly when you are about to say or do something, usually because you feel unsure, nervous, or not ready to continue.

Example

When the teacher asked who broke the window, Liam hesitated before raising his hand.

hesitate before + gerund (describing a pause before an action)

Meera hesitated at the door, unsure if she should enter the meeting room.

Common collocations
  • hesitate before answering
  • hesitate for a moment
  • hesitate to speak
  • hesitate at the door
  • hesitate briefly
Synonyms
  • pause

    more neutral — simply means stop briefly, without the emotional implication of doubt or nervousness

  • waver

    suggests being unable to decide between two choices, going back and forth

  • falter

    implies losing confidence mid-action or mid-speech, often with a physical sign of uncertainty

  • be uncertain

    more general and descriptive; focuses on the mental state rather than the action of stopping

Antonyms
  • act decisively

    to take action without any pause or doubt

  • forge ahead

    to continue moving forward confidently, without letting doubt slow you down

Grammar Patterns

hesitate + to-infinitive

hesitate + about/over + noun/gerund

hesitate + before + gerund

Usage Note

Most common in the pattern hesitate + to-infinitive (e.g., 'hesitated to answer'). When a preposition is needed, use about or over before a noun or gerund ('hesitated about joining'). Also common with before + gerund to describe a pause mid-action.

Common Mistakes

She hesitated to went inside.
She hesitated to go inside.
After hesitate + to, always use the base form of the verb, not the past tense.
I didn't hesitate from telling him the news.
I didn't hesitate to tell him the news.
Hesitate takes to + infinitive, not from + gerund.
He hesitated and then answered.
He hesitated before answering.
When describing a pause caused by doubt, use before + gerund rather than and then, which sounds like a simple sequence.

Word family

  • hesitation
    nounB1
  • hesitant
    adjectiveB1
  • hesitantly
    adverbB2
  • hesitancy
    nounC1
  • unhesitating
    adjectiveC1
  • unhesitatingly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe a moment of slowing or stopping before or during an action, but they differ in what causes the stop. Hesitate is the broadest everyday word — it covers any brief pause driven by uncertainty, nervousness, or reluctance, whether before speaking, acting, or making a choice. Waver focuses on indecision between two options: you go back and forth without settling on either, as in 'she wavered between taking the job and staying at her current post.' Falter suggests a loss of confidence that happens after you have already started — your voice, steps, or resolve weaken mid-action. Pause is purely neutral: it simply means stop briefly, with no implication of doubt at all. For example: the speaker paused to drink water (just a break), but hesitated before answering the difficult question (unsure how to respond).

hesitate ↗waverfalterpause ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • without hesitation
  • hesitate to + verb
  • hesitate before + gerund

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Hesitate comes from the Latin word haesitare, which means 'to stick fast' or 'to stammer'. Haesitare was itself a frequentative form of haerere ('to stick, cling, or be attached'). The idea was that a person who hesitates 'sticks' at a point — unable to move forward smoothly. English borrowed the word in the early 1600s, and the meaning shifted from stammering speech to the broader sense of pausing from doubt or reluctance.