halting

adjective

halt·​ing ˈhȯl-tiŋ 

: marked by a lack of sureness or effectiveness

spoke in a halting manner

haltingly

ˈhȯl-tiŋ-lē 

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

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Word History

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

halting

adjective

halt·​ing ˈhȯl-tiŋ 

: being unsure or hesitant

spoke in a halting manner

haltingly adverb