hesitation
noun
hes·i·ta·tion
ˌhe-zə-ˈtā-shən 
1
: an act or instance of hesitating
A moment's hesitation could have meant disaster.
I would do it again without hesitation.
2
: a pausing or faltering in speech
Examples of hesitation in a Sentence
one moment's hesitation on my part, and the elusive butterfly was lost to me forever
Recent Examples on the Web
Audiences can read coherence or incoherence, confidence or hesitation.
—
Chiara Alzati, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
SoftBank scaled back plans for a $10 billion margin loan backed by the OpenAI stake after facing hesitation from some creditors, Bloomberg reported.
—Benoit Berthelot, Fortune, 30 May 2026
Jake became Sai without hesitation.
—Literary Hub, 29 May 2026
Nerves, doubt, and hesitation are normal and expected at this point in the process.
—Jonathan Carone, Parents, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hesitation
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Chiara Alzati, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
SoftBank scaled back plans for a $10 billion margin loan backed by the OpenAI stake after facing hesitation from some creditors, Bloomberg reported.
—Benoit Berthelot, Fortune, 30 May 2026
Jake became Sai without hesitation.
—Literary Hub, 29 May 2026
Nerves, doubt, and hesitation are normal and expected at this point in the process.
—Jonathan Carone, Parents, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hesitation
Cite this Entry
“Hesitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hesitation. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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