temporizing

verb

present participle of temporize
as in stalling
formal to avoid making a decision or giving a definite answer in order to have more time Pressured by voters on both sides of the issue, the congressmen temporized.

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for temporizing
  1. stalling
  2. delaying
  3. lingering
Verb
  • Their replacements arrived three weeks late because of capsule repairs, stalling this crew’s homecoming.
    — Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The memoir also details Cooper’s crippling, career-stalling struggles with substance abuse during the late ‘70s and goes into depth about his subsequent re-embrace of Christianity and his current beliefs and practices.
    — Gary Graff, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of stalling
Verb
  • The daughter, Shannon Amos, faults her brother, Kelly Christopher Amos, for delaying medical care while isolating the actor from his family and friends in the years leading up to his death.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
  • More and more parents are delaying vaccines and citing logistics, outsourcing the decision to the parent who isn’t in the room or simply wanting more time.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of delaying
Verb
  • Abruptly moving on, like a magician preventing his audience from lingering on his last trick, Alex pulled out a tablet, holding it up to me.
    — Andrew Lipstein, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Also on the ground floor is Maven, serving strong espresso and nitro cold brew—plus coffee cocktails worth lingering for.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of lingering
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.

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temporizes
temporizing
temps
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Cite this Entry

“Temporizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temporizing. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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