hem and haw
idiom
chiefly US, informal
1
: to stop often and change what one is saying during speech because one is not sure of what to say or because one is trying to avoid saying something
The question surprised her and she hemmed and hawed a bit before answering.
2
: to take a long time before making a decision about what to do
The city council hemmed and hawed for a year before deciding to build the new school.
Examples of hem and haw in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bob hemmed and hawed and decided to use one of his Life Lines.
—
Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025
His script circulated around Hollywood and while some hemmed and hawed — the micro-budget picture is raunchy and the green-colored title character is anatomically correct — A24 jumped right in.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2025
This man has been hemming and hawing and verbally authoring fan fiction since last season.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
While speaking to the publication with brothers Nick and Kevin, the DNCE frontman didn’t hem and haw when asked for his take on The Life of a Showgirl.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 20 Oct. 2025
Two researchers from a big AI lab kept joining my conversations to hem and haw about the device.
—Boone Ashworth Kylie Robison, Wired News, 8 Sep. 2025
As Paul hemmed and hawed about accepting the challenge, Drew McIntyre attacked Cena out of nowhere.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Multiple investigations show that for years, Kerr County officials hemmed and hawed about the need to create a better warning system employing radar, gauges and sirens as well as cellphone networks.
—Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 10 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025
His script circulated around Hollywood and while some hemmed and hawed — the micro-budget picture is raunchy and the green-colored title character is anatomically correct — A24 jumped right in.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2025
This man has been hemming and hawing and verbally authoring fan fiction since last season.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
While speaking to the publication with brothers Nick and Kevin, the DNCE frontman didn’t hem and haw when asked for his take on The Life of a Showgirl.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 20 Oct. 2025
Two researchers from a big AI lab kept joining my conversations to hem and haw about the device.
—Boone Ashworth Kylie Robison, Wired News, 8 Sep. 2025
As Paul hemmed and hawed about accepting the challenge, Drew McIntyre attacked Cena out of nowhere.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Multiple investigations show that for years, Kerr County officials hemmed and hawed about the need to create a better warning system employing radar, gauges and sirens as well as cellphone networks.
—Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hem and haw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hem%20and%20haw. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
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