HAW Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

haw

verb

Definition of haw

as in to hem

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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 haw Still, this is 10 straight minutes of absolute peppering, and 10 minutes of hemming and hawing from Schefter. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2026 People with an instinct for action are those who jump in and tackle things head-on, rather than hemming and hawing about it. — Kate Morgan, Forbes.com, 11 Mar. 2026 Capable partners are good partners, unlike so many of our traditional allies, who wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026 Barring America losing a war or experiencing a crushing economic depression, one imagines that even the anti-Trump candidates will again be doing the hemming and hawing that made so many of the 2024 versions so ineffective. — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 18 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for haw

Recent Examples of Synonyms for haw

Verb

Wedding dress bustles easily hem a train after the ceremony so a bride can seamlessly move among guests and dance into the night.

— Shelby Wax, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2026
Rather than chasing one elusive number at a time, mathematicians study how these Ramsey numbers grow as the graphs become larger—and how to hem them in.

— Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 15 July 2026

Definition of hem

Verb

With more than seven million people packed into over 9,000 high-rises, efficiency is key here, and people will judge you for holding up lines, hesitating with your Octopus card, or lingering over your dim sum table while others are waiting.

— Lee Cobaj, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
So as facts and circumstances change, taxpayers should not hesitate to notify the IRS to avoid defaults and payment failures.

— Charles T. Almond III, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of hesitate

Verb

The league has agreed to an extended All-Star break to accommodate the Olympics, but MLB also could tire of waiting for the union to agree with LA28, which badly wants MLB players to participate.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Ukraine is waiting for information and clarification from the US side about the situation and there is no response yet, the source said.

— Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of wait

Verb

Understandably, Penn struggles to hold these disparate points of focus together with a performance that vacillates between disarmingly dopey and almost willfully ignorant of the realities of the 2000s media landscape.

— Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
The strength came as oil prices continued to vacillate because of uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the global energy industry to return to normal.

— Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of vacillate

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havocs

haw

hawed

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Style

“Haw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haw. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of haw

verb

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