as in falters
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
I didn't hesitate to tell them that what they were doing was wrong and that I wanted no part of it
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Recent Examples of hesitates
If the alliance hesitates, Putin will see weakness and press harder.
—
David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The actress hesitates for only a second before divulging the story.
—Galina Espinoza, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2025
But Andreia Alexander, an ER doctor in Indiana, told me that patients should not want a doctor who hesitates to save their life.
—Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2025
Lower will talk about work all day but hesitates to reveal much about Britt L’s outie.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The actress hesitates for only a second before divulging the story.
—Galina Espinoza, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2025
But Andreia Alexander, an ER doctor in Indiana, told me that patients should not want a doctor who hesitates to save their life.
—Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2025
Lower will talk about work all day but hesitates to reveal much about Britt L’s outie.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitates
Verb
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Deals collapse when communication falters.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
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That stat alone underscores how well the starting rotation has held up, even as the relief corps falters.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Unlike traditional applications requiring instant responses, AI operations can tolerate delays—training waits minutes while applications like ChatGPT work perfectly, delivering responses over hundreds of milliseconds.—
Daniel Kearney,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hesitates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitates. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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