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[ verb ] pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
Examples : "Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures." Used in print (Norman Kent, "The Watercolor Art of Roy M. Mason"...)For me , these will belong more completely to their surroundings if they are conceived in this early stage , though I freely admit that I do not hesitate to add or eliminate figures on the full sheet when it serves my final purpose . (H. A. Gleason, "Review of African language studies...)He concludes that some changes can made in the current orthography which will appreciably improve its usefulness , but hesitates to suggest precise graphic devices to effect these changes . (George Harmon Coxe, Error of Judgement....)Only an occasional tip turned_out to be a phony , and , like the police , Casey had made a point of running_down all such suggestions and he did not hesitate this time . (Vina Delmar, The Big Family....)And though it was logical that a man who could plot mass_murder would not hesitate to speak an untruth , still it was difficult to understand why Spencer spoke only for Cromwell . Related terms falter hover hover dwell_on boggle beat_around_the_bush hesitation reluctance waffler waverer doubt |
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[ verb ] interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
Synonyms Examples "The speaker paused" Used in print (William Maxwell, The Chateau....)He did n't , but it was not really a question , and so he left the room , walked down the hall to the front of the apartment , hesitated , and then knocked lightly on the closed door of the study . (Irving Stone, The Agony and the Ecstasy....)He hesitated for a moment when Michelangelo asked him to disrobe , so Michelangelo gave him a piece of toweling to wrap around his loins , led him to the kitchen to take_off his clothes . (Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land....)He hesitated . Related terms |
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