halting

adjective

halt·​ing ˈhȯl-tiŋ How to pronounce halting (audio)
: marked by a lack of sureness or effectiveness
spoke in a halting manner
haltingly adverb

Examples of halting in a Sentence

She answered in a halting voice. The baby took a few halting steps. Progress in the negotiations has been halting.
Recent Examples on the Web But unlike southern Nevada, where there is really only one water source and one water customer—the Colorado River and metropolitan Las Vegas—the enormous complexity of Arizona means that a quick pivot to conservation, much less halting growth, is unlikely. Kyle Paoletta, The New Republic, 30 Oct. 2023 The situation was further complicated when Hamas began a halting release of hostages, two American citizens Friday and two elderly Israelis on Tuesday. Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023 That’s a complicated path too, of course, and could look like walking back the halting but real progress some companies have made in diversity and sustainability. Maria Aspan, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2023 This week, though, Ukrainian armored vehicles advanced past Russia’s main anti-tank defenses at one location on the front line, according to reconnaissance video and commanders, showing slight progress in Kyiv’s halting counteroffensive. Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023 Yet the reason for the sometimes halting delivery of weapons underscores the difference between the political calculus behind the Biden administration’s Ukraine strategy, and Kyiv’s approach. Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Sep. 2023 An inflation measure that strips out those volatile categories — known as core inflation — is making much more halting progress. Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 5 July 2023 And his speech has sounded more halting in recent weeks. Mary Clare Jalonick, Anchorage Daily News, 28 July 2023 Other real-life figures are depicted in cameos, including Garland and a tap-dancing Ann Miller. Stan Graner as Mayer delivers his lines with a halting tick that becomes distracting. Manuel Mendoza, Dallas News, 21 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'halting.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of halting was in 1585

Dictionary Entries Near halting

Cite this Entry

“Halting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/halting. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

halting

adjective
halt·​ing ˈhȯl-tiŋ How to pronounce halting (audio)
: being unsure or hesitant
spoke in a halting manner
haltingly adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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