falter
verb
[ ˈfɔːltə ]
• lose strength or momentum.
• "the music faltered, stopped, and started up again"
Similar:
hesitate,
delay,
drag one's feet,
stall,
think twice,
get cold feet,
change one's mind,
waver,
oscillate,
fluctuate,
vacillate,
be undecided,
be indecisive,
be irresolute,
see-saw,
yo-yo,
haver,
hum and haw,
sit on the fence,
dilly-dally,
shilly-shally,
pussyfoot around,
blow hot and cold,
tergiversate,
Origin:
late Middle English (in the senses ‘stammer’ and ‘stagger’): perhaps from the verb fold1 (which was occasionally used of the faltering of the legs or tongue) + -ter as in totter .
