HAW Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

haw

verb

Definition of haw

as in to hem

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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 In the midst of it all, young children decked out in Algerian gear hemmed and hawed at their idols. — Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026 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

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

Montgomery hesitated in front of Lee before cutting inside to leave Lee one-on-one with a defender streaking toward the end zone.

— PJ Green September 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026
More senior employees may dominate the conversation, while younger employees may hesitate to speak up.

— John Abusaid, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of hesitate

Verb

To open the ceremony, Shirley strolled from the west end of the bridge to the east, where Charley was waiting.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
The advice is nearly always the same — wait until after midnight, preferably until the hours before dawn, then give your eyes half an hour to adjust to the darkness.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of wait

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havocs

haw

hawed

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“Haw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haw. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of haw

verb

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