Definition of "hesitate" in English

verb

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.