Meaning & use
hesitate
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To stop briefly before doing or saying something because you are unsure or nervous about it.
Grammar: No object; often followed by before or over: hesitate before answering.
Patterns
- hesitate before doing something
- hesitate over something
- hesitate at the door
She hesitated at the edge of the diving board before jumping in.
The driver hesitated for a second, then turned left.
Don't hesitate over small details when you are drafting.
verbintransitive
To be unwilling to do something because you doubt whether it is wise or right.
Grammar: Followed by to plus a verb: hesitate to criticize.
Patterns
- hesitate to do something
- not hesitate to do something
I hesitate to recommend the restaurant because the service is slow.
Many people hesitate to speak up in large meetings.
He did not hesitate to help when he saw the accident.
verbidiomformal
Used in the polite phrase don't hesitate to, to encourage someone to contact you or ask for something.
Grammar: Almost always imperative and negative: don't hesitate to call.
Patterns
- don't hesitate to contact someone
- please do not hesitate to ask
Please don't hesitate to call me if you need help.
If you have questions, do not hesitate to email the office.
Don't hesitate to ask if the instructions aren't clear.
Word forms
| third person singular | hesitates |
|---|---|
| past tense | hesitated |
| past participle | hesitated |
| -ing form | hesitating |
Common combinations
- hesitate for a moment
- He hesitated for a moment before opening the letter.
- hesitate to ask
- Please don't hesitate to ask for help.
- without hesitating
- She agreed without hesitating.
- hesitate over a decision
- The committee hesitated over the decision to close the library.
- hesitate before speaking
- He hesitated before speaking, choosing his words carefully.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pause
- Pause only describes a short stop and does not imply doubt, while hesitate suggests uncertainty.
- waver
- Waver describes going back and forth between choices over time, whereas hesitate is a brief stop before one act.
- dither
- Dither is informal and disapproving, suggesting a person cannot decide and wastes time.
- balk
- Balk means to refuse or pull back suddenly, which is stronger than simply pausing to hesitate.
Opposites
Word family
- hesitation noun
- a pause caused by doubt
- hesitant adjective
- slow to act because of uncertainty
- hesitantly adverb
- in an unsure, slow way
- hesitancy noun
- the habit of being slow to act or decide
Commonly confused: hesitate or hesitant? hesitate or hesitation?
hesitate vs hesitant
Hesitant is an adjective describing a person or manner, while hesitate is the verb for the action.
hesitate vs hesitation
Hesitation is the noun for the pause itself, whereas hesitate is the verb for pausing.
Practice
Which option completes the polite email ending: 'If you need anything else, please don't ______ to contact me.'?
Choose one answer.
After 'don't' the base verb is needed, and hesitate is the only verb form. Hesitation is a noun, hesitant is an adjective, and hesitating is an -ing form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hesitate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.