dithers 1 of 2

noun

plural of dither
as in huffs
a state of nervous or irritated concern Grandma usually gets in a dither if I don't make my weekly call

Synonyms & Similar Words

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dithers

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of dither
as in hesitates
to show uncertainty about the right course of action we dithered all afternoon over whether to go to the park or to the movies and ended up doing neither

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dithers
Noun
Viewers well versed in the ways of romantic fiction won’t be that surprised by how this little pas de quatre works out as Emile dithers and deliberates over each woman’s charms. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
Moody’s expects the budget will eventually be adopted, but possibly by decree as the National Assembly dithers. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dithers
  1. huffs
  2. hesitates
  3. sweats
  4. falters
  5. frets
  6. swelters
Noun
  • David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.
    — Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
  • As much as Payton bristles about media storylines and huffs about tempo questions, the Broncos went 25 minutes without a first down against Las Vegas.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Nov. 2025
Definition of huffs
Verb
  • Smear certainly finds Ides of March star Clooney, who never hesitates to put his politics and star power to work, and the rest of the cast stepping into some deep, murky and often digital waters.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Deanna hesitates, still wounded by the estrangement, but opens the house again.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of hesitates
Noun
  • The elastic waistband and relaxed silhouette are as comfy as sweats but more edgy and pulled together.
    — Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2026
  • On Monday, Powlis stood before Judge Elizabeth Shamahs with a dispassionate look on his goateed face, dressed in a black fleece, black sweats and navy New Balance sneakers.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of sweats
Verb
  • However, turning advanced materials from lab success into commercial products often falters at the production stage, where slow manufacturing and harsh chemical inputs make mass production prohibitively expensive and unsafe.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The Clemson junior from Rienzi, Mississippi is chasing a football career, but if that falters might chose to follow his parents into the military.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of falters
Noun
  • On the title track Chen reaches for the psaltery (a kind of zither without frets), creating a meandering, medieval atmosphere whose ubiquitous electronic background buzz foreshadows the biting screams and blistering bass to come.
    — James Gui, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Khn plays a custom double-neck guitar-bass with twice the usual number of frets on each side, looping the two halves together in real time with foot pedals.
    — Josh Martin, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of frets
Noun
  • The San Joaquin Valley swelters Temperatures could rise to nearly 110 degrees in portions of the San Joaquin Valley over the next three afternoons.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
  • The public safety push comes as much of France swelters under red heat alerts, with temperatures in parts of the country forecast to top 104 degrees, the AP reported.
    — Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026
Definition of swelters

Browse Nearby Words

dithering
dithers
dithery
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Cite this Entry

“Dithers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dithers. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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