temporize
verb
[ ˈtɛmpərʌɪz ]
• avoid making a decision or committing oneself in order to gain time.
• "the opportunity was missed because the queen still temporized"
Similar:
equivocate,
procrastinate,
play for time,
play a waiting game,
stall,
use delaying tactics,
avoid committing oneself,
avoid making a decision,
delay,
hang back,
beat about the bush,
be evasive,
prevaricate,
be indecisive,
hesitate,
hum and haw,
kick the can down the road,
palter,
tergiversate,
use Fabian tactics,
Origin:
late 16th century: from French temporiser ‘bide one's time’, from medieval Latin temporizare ‘to delay’, from Latin tempus, tempor- ‘time’.
