dither

play

verb dith·er \ ˈdi-t͟hər \

Definition of dither

dithered; dithering play \-t͟h(ə-)riŋ\

intransitive verb

1 :shiver, tremble

the dithering of grass
—Wallace Stevens

2 :to act nervously or indecisively :vacillate

dithering about what to do next

There's no time to dither.

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ditherer

play \-t͟hər-ər\ noun

See dither defined for English-language learners

Examples of dither in a Sentence

We don't have time to dither.
She did not dither about what to do next.

Recent Examples of dither from the Web

Dithering may have made the situation worse for U.S. steel producers.

— author: alan rappeport, Alaska Dispatch News, "Trump’s stalled trade agenda leaves industries in a bind," 7 Aug. 2017
Over the course of nearly 400 pages, readers observe both the bait-and-switch script and the policy dithering on what seems to be an endless loop.

— brooke harrington, The Atlantic, "Why Americans Get Conned Again and Again," 31 July 2017
PSG will hope that their dithering over his future will not come back to haunt them.

— SI.com, "Leicester City Have Allegedly Signed 17-Year-Old PSG Forward Alassane Meite on 3-Year Contract," 21 July 2017
But this bit of history reflects the stubborn parochialism and official dithering that might have gotten into the city's DNA.

— dan rodricks, baltimoresun.com, "Rodricks: The great Baltimore swine debate," 15 July 2017
The conference can't afford to keep dithering on this.

— phil mattingly, CNN, "Senate health care state of play: 'Hanging by a thread'," 27 June 2017
The wine list is similarly easy to digest, with just 40-some bottles over which to dither.

— mike sula, Chicago Reader, "Matt Eversman is back in the game at Ella Elli," 22 June 2017
But if the council dithers too much, the city could lose valuable time in this first construction season.

— lynn horsley, kansascity.com, "Horsley at City Hall: Streetcar extension, park safety, Westport street privatization," 5 June 2017
The White House dithering over the accord — which has the support of every nation except Syria and Nicaragua -- reflects a deeply divided worldview in a Trump inner circle now packed with establishment Republicans.

— evan halper, latimes.com, "Trump attacked the Paris accord as the worst kind of globalism — can he walk it back?," 25 May 2017

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of dither

Middle English didderen

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

dither Synonyms

Synonyms

balance, hesitate, falter, halt, hang back, scruple, shilly-shally, stagger, teeter, vacillate, waver, wobble (also wabble)

Antonyms

dive (in), plunge (in)

Related Words

haw, hem; dally, dawdle, delay, linger, pause, procrastinate, wait; back down, chicken (out); consider, debate, deliberate, ponder, weigh; oscillate, sway; equivocate, hedge, pussyfoot, waffle

Near Antonyms

decide; budge, stir; advance, continue

dither

noun

Definition of dither

:a highly nervous, excited, or agitated state :excitement, confusion

The news of her arrival had us all in a dither.

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dithery

play \ˈdi-t͟hə-rē\ adjective

See dither defined for English-language learners

See dither defined for kids

Examples of dither in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of dither from the Web

Winners take bold actions, dominate others and impose their will on the world; losers hem and haw, dither and consult, exercise restraint.

— nitsuh abebe, New York Times, "Tired of ‘Winning’? You Should Be," 20 June 2017
But until that happens, a whole Greek chorus of tough-talkin’ ranchers, Mexican satirists, East Coast elitists and up-in-a-dither environmentalists are squawking in unison.

— patrick may, The Mercury News, "The world has gone nuts over Trump’s Wall," 22 Mar. 2017