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

While its lawyers have not hesitated to send cease-and-desist letters to AI companies, Disney is among the big media companies looking for ways to get in the AI game and profit from its boom.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Please have a plan in place should flash flooding develop and do not hesitate to act.

— NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of hesitate

Verb

The wealth gap has political stakes, too That sense of waiting for an opportunity has electoral relevance.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Dahmen recommends waiting about a week after the frost before beginning to plant spring bulbs and getting a head start on next year's garden.

— WCCO Staff, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of wait

Verb

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
OpenAI has vacillated between wanting to be the big consumer company and knowing that the revenue is in enterprise.

— Nilay Patel, The Verge, 8 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of haw

verb

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