hesitate
verb
[ ˈhɛzɪteɪt ]
• pause in indecision before saying or doing something.
• "she hesitated, unsure of what to say"
Similar:
pause,
delay,
hang back,
wait,
shilly-shally,
dither,
stall,
temporize,
be in two minds,
be in a quandary,
be in a dilemma,
be on the horns of a dilemma,
be uncertain,
be hesitant,
be unsure,
be doubtful,
be indecisive,
equivocate,
vacillate,
oscillate,
waver,
have second thoughts,
haver,
hum and haw,
swither,
dilly-dally,
blow hot and cold,
Opposite:
be resolute,
be certain,
Origin:
early 17th century: from Latin haesitat- ‘stuck fast, left undecided’, from the verb haesitare, from haerere ‘stick, stay’.
