. Displaced native Old English wandian.

• (British) IPA: /ˈhɛz.ɪ.teɪt/
• (America) IPA: /ˈhɛz.ə.teɪt/
• (Australia) IPA: /ˈhez.ə.tæɪt/

hesitate (hesitates, present participle hesitating; simple past and past participle hesitated)

1. (intransitive) To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.

   He hesitated whether to accept the offer or not; men often hesitate in forming a judgment.

   • September 1, 1742, Alexander Pope, letter to Racine

     I shall not hesitate to declare myself very cordially, in regard to some particulars about which you have desired an answer.

2. (intransitive) To stammer; to falter in speaking.
3. (transitive, poetic, rare) To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.
   • a. 1724, Alexander Pope, The Ms. at Longleat:

     Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike.

• (to stop respecting decision or action) demur, falter, mammer, scruple, waver; see also Thesaurus:hesitate
• (to falter in speaking) balbucinate, balbutiate, falter, hem, haw, stammer, stutter
• (to utter with hesitation) falter

• French: hésiter
• German: zögern
• Italian: esitare, titubare
• Portuguese: hesitar, vacilar, titubear
• Russian: колеба́ться
• Spanish: vacilar, dudar, hesitar (rare), titubear

• German: zögern, stammeln
• Russian: запина́ться