dith·er
| \ ˈdi-t͟hər
\
\
dithered; dithering\
ˈdi-t͟h(ə-)riŋ
\
\
Definition of dither
(Entry 1 of 2)
2
: to act nervously or indecisively : vacillate
dithering about what to do next There's no time to dither.
dither
nounDefinition of dither (Entry 2 of 2)
: a highly nervous, excited, or agitated state : excitement, confusion
The news of her arrival had us all in a dither.
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from dither
Verb
ditherer
\
ˈdi-t͟hər-ər
\
noun
\
noun
Noun
dithery
\
ˈdi-t͟hə-rē
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms & Antonyms for dither
Synonyms: Verb
- balance,
- falter,
- halt,
- hang back,
- hesitate,
- scruple,
- shilly-shally,
- stagger,
- teeter,
- vacillate,
- waver,
- wobble
- (also wabble)
Synonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Verb
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of dither in a Sentence
Verb
We don't have time to dither.
She did not dither about what to do next.
Noun
Grandma usually gets in a dither if I don't make my weekly call.
we were all in a dither while we waited for the test results
See More
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
That review window moves: Whenever lawmakers dither in D.C., the CRA review period for their successors gets later on the calendar.
—
The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Biden’s Fast Track to Reregulation," 25 Dec. 2020
While governments dither, though, climate commitments and action by corporations has gained considerable momentum since Paris.
—
Tim Mcdonnell, Quartz, "Companies with serious climate goals are beating the market," 10 Dec. 2020
Approving federal judges is a priority for Mitch McConnell during the lame-duck session of Congress, but Republicans shouldn’t dither on confirming Nathan Simington to the Federal Communications Commission.
—
The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Confirmation Mischief at the FCC," 17 Nov. 2020
As firms dither, the $30trn global commercial-property market is stalked by fears of a deeper slump.
—
The Economist, "The future of work Is the office finished?," 12 Sep. 2020
As Congress continues to dither over renewal of the federal Paycheck Protection Program, many, Rossman said, are at or near the end of their resiliency.
—
Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, "State poised to release reopening rules Friday," 27 Aug. 2020
Act fast: If an exponential increase is in the cards, dithering around as New York and other places did in March will only make history repeat.
—
Sharon Begley, STAT, "How the world can avoid screwing up the response to Covid-19 again," 5 June 2020
Waiting a second too long to return to a cell bed or dithering over when to act means the difference between failure and success.
—
Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, "Want to Try a Robert Bresson Film? Look to Clint Eastwood," 14 May 2020
The headline: San Francisco dithered, while Los Angeles acted and saved lives.
—
Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, "Podcast: Second wave of coronavirus deaths could be worse if history is any indication," 24 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Fishing might well represent a tiny fragment of the U.K. economy, but did that mean it should not have been protected, even at the cost of dither and delay and, even, perhaps, the freedom of other industries?
—
Tom Mctague, The Atlantic, "Why Britain’s Brexit Mayhem Was Worth It," 24 Dec. 2020
Those with intercollegiate athletic programs are in a dither figuring out what will happen to NCAA games, especially football, which is key to the identify of many universities and finances other sports at the largest schools.
—
Dennis Wagner, USA TODAY, "Colleges are racing to create 'a new sense of normalcy.' Will new rules, COVID-19 testing be enough?," 5 July 2020
As Washington dithers and fights, Bexar County commissioners are taking swift action, creating a $5 million loan and grant program to help small businesses hurt by the coronavirus.
—
Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje, ExpressNews.com, "The New Normal: COVID-19 has turned us all into shut-ins (bless the pizza-making kits)," 24 Mar. 2020
While the Trump administration dithers and argues with Congress and trips over its own feet, the Federal Reserve has moved decisively to counteract the economic impacts of the coronavirus.
—
Jeff Spross, TheWeek, "The Fed's $1.5 trillion intervention, explained," 12 Mar. 2020
In a city short on space and high on need for homeless services, there’s no more time to dither.
—
Heather Knight, SFChronicle.com, "SF says no thanks to free housing for homeless on vacant Tenderloin lot," 24 Jan. 2020
As global warming becomes direr – and nations dither about decreasing emissions – could these controversial technological fixes known as geoengineering buy us time to move away from burning fossil fuels?
—
USA Today, "10 years to save planet Earth: Here are 6 imaginative climate change solutions," 24 Dec. 2019
Mr Johnson himself argued forcefully against any further dither or delay.
—
The Economist, "Boris Johnson makes the EU an offer it can refuse," 3 Oct. 2019
To keep migrants comfortable while Democrats in Congress dither on humanitarian aid, the Trump Admin bought bedroom furniture from Wayfair.
—
NBC News, "Wayfair workers walkout to protest company's furniture sale to migrant detention center," 26 June 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dither.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Learn More about dither
Dictionary Entries near dither
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for dither
Last Updated
9 Jan 2021
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Dither.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dither. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for dither
dither
verb
English Language Learners Definition of dither
(Entry 1 of 2)
informal
: to delay taking action because you are not sure about what to do
dither
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of dither (Entry 2 of 2)
informal
: a very nervous, confused, or excited state
See the full definition for dither in the English Language Learners Dictionary
dither
noun
dith·er
| \ ˈdi-t͟hər
\
\
Kids Definition of dither
: a very nervous or excited state
The bride's parents were all in a dither.
Comments on dither
What made you want to look up dither? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Who Knew?
-
- What is a ruelle?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share dither
Time Traveler for dither
The first known use of dither was in the 15th century
See more words from the same century