Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use hesitate in a sentence

40 example sentences · verb

Hesitate means to stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination. Example: “He hesitated whether to accept the offer or not; men often hesitate in forming a judgment.”

Examples of hesitate by meaning

verbTo 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.

More sentences with hesitate

  • We appreciate your input, so please don't hesitate to chime in with comments and questions.From the entry chime in
  • After the wonderful service that evening he didn’t hesitate in laying a substantial perquisite on the table.From the entry perquisite
  • Though they did not know the reason for the dispute, they did not hesitate to leap into the fray.From the entry fray
  • The teacher did not hesitate to reprehend students for cheating.From the entry reprehend
  • He seemed to hesitate when he chipped in.From the entry chip in
  • He hesitated about climbing such a small, rickety ladder.From the entry rickety
  • An elderly pedestrian hesitates in midstreet.From the entry midstreet
  • The manager hesitated to open the doors to the thronging holiday crowds, knowing that a feeding frenzy would soon ensue near the display of coveted toys.From the entry feeding frenzy
  • The surgeon's sureness was the result of long study in school and long practice in the operating room, never did he hesitate and never was there a mis-move.From the entry sureness
  • If there is something they desire or need, they don't hesitate to go out and get it.2023 November 2, Monisha Holmes, Erika W. Smith, “Read This Before You Ask Out a Taurus Woman”, in Cosmopolitan. From the entry do-er
  • You may hesitate before you pocket the swag, wondering if doing so is OK.2022 September 28, Kim Cook, “Why free swag at bars, hotels is so important to brands”, in Toronto Star. From the entry swag
  • When she hesitated, he picked up his helmet and said, “I’ve got a spare.2016, M[ary] A[ann] Clarke Scott, chapter 5, in Reconcilable Differences (A Having It All Novel; 1), [Vancouver, B.C.], →ISBN, page 75. From the entry c'm'on
  • Behind her, a band of drummers hesitated in mid-beat over now-silent dumbeks.2014, Robin Wayne Bailey, Swords Against the Shadowland, →ISBN. From the entry dumbek
  • Having reached the vicinity of his chosen destination, however, Sisera hesitates to proceed further.2011, James K. Aitken, Katharine J. Dell, Brian A. Mastin, On Stone and Scroll: Essays in Honour of Graham Ivor Davies, page 321. From the entry turn aside
  • Brad hesitated, peering at the grid of spun sugar that jutted from his loganberry parfait.2004, Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty […], 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 379. From the entry loganberry
  • He was, no matter his protestations, the Prophet, and they hesitated to foreguess him.1996, Angus Wells, Exile's Challenge. From the entry foreguess
  • If you have a remark or suggestion for this list, don't hesitate but mail me directly.1993, Frans Bouma, “Demolist 3/5 - 7/5”, in bit.listserv.i-amiga (Usenet). From the entry musicdisk
  • I hesitate to recommend it, because so much depends on the ironic vision of the viewer.1989 May 19, Roger Ebert, “Road House”, in RogerEbert.com. From the entry good-bad
  • I hesitate because my best friend Anita is a pig, a real skag, and humongously rotund.1981 April, “Dear Abyss”, in Crazy Magazine, number 73, Marvel Comics Group, page 57, column 2. From the entry humongously
  • Wilson, 72, who knows his own mind and does not hesitate to speak it.1973 August 13, “The Law: The Little American”, in Time. From the entry know one's own mind
  • I hesitated, then added, "I'm going to take the Long Sleep.1957, Robert A. Heinlein, The Door Into Summer, →ISBN. From the entry cold sleep
  • Khedron hesitated for a moment, wondering how far he should take Jeserac into his confidence.1956, Arthur C. Clarke, The City and the Stars, page 39. From the entry confidence
  • Anytime you want to shoot holes in our ideas, don't hesitate to do so.1952, Hope Angel, Illinois Education - Volume 41, Illinois Education Association, page 124. From the entry shoot holes
  • If you see him, do not hesitate to let him know what the Roekaar think of this betrayal.2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Received message: A Traitor. From the entry betrayal
  • A ghost bullet in the heart, but he didn't hesitate.2014, Steven R. Boyett, Mortality Bridge. From the entry ghost bullet
  • I did not hesitate to overlisten it.2014, Stephanie Barron [pseudonym; Francine Mathews], Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas: Being a Jane Austen Mystery, New York, N.Y.…. From the entry overlisten
  • “Listen,” he hesitated, “about what I said before.2013, Joe DeMono, Ciro, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 19. From the entry friendsies
  • Johnson hesitated with his back to goal and was dispossessed by Mulumbu, who instantly played Odemwingie through on goal.2012 April 22, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 West Brom”, in BBC Sport. From the entry wrong-foot
  • All of us, when in deep trauma, find we hesitate, we stammer; there are long pauses in our speech.2012 [2011], Jeanette Winterson, Why be Happy When You Could be Normal?, Bath: Windsor, →ISBN, page 9. From the entry deep-dive
  • I hesitated, drawn by the bath’s enticing promise.2011, Cate Lord, chapter 7, in Lucky Girl, Fort Collins, Colo.: Entangled Publishing, →ISBN, page 76. From the entry bring
  • One who hesitates is lost, goes the old saw, but so is one who plunges blindly ahead along a fixed path.2009, Ruggero J. Aldisert, Opinion Writing, →ISBN, page 52. From the entry one who hesitates is lost
  • We totally relate to gamers who hesitate to devote a few hours to pixel hunting to solve puzzles.2009, PC Gamer, PC Gamer, volume 16, GP Publications, page 22. From the entry pixel hunt
  • I no longer hesitated; the next day I spent the lunch hour fighting the older, bigger, and heavier boy.2006, James M. Lawson, Jr., “Higher Ground: The Nonviolence Imperative”, in Peter Laarman, editor, Getting on Message: Challenging the…. From the entry egger-on
  • Then your cell phone rang and you didn’t even hesitate.2006, J. D. Webb, Shepherd’s Pie, Richmond, Ky.: Wings ePress, Inc., →ISBN, page 7. From the entry investigatress
  • Strik9 and his boiz sure wouldn’t hesitate to.2004, Elaine Corvidae, “Survival Instinct”, in Daniel J. Reitz, editor, Beyond the Mundane: Flights of Mind, Mundania Press, →ISBN, page 195. From the entry boiz
  • Henry had hesitated before authorising the spoliation; he would soon tergiversate on other matters of doctrine but this act was irreversible.2002, Colin Morris, Peter Roberts, chapter 8, in Pilgrimage: The English Experience from Becket to Bunyan, →ISBN, page 221. From the entry tergiversate
  • He hesitated inside the door, then answered Hunter's glance.2002, Will Shetterly, "Splatter", in Neil Gaiman, ed., Sandman, page 126. From the entry Tony the Tiger
  • While many gay men were reluctant to support the AIDS ward, straight women and lesbians didn’t hesitate one moment.1999, John-Manuel Andriote, “Rallying the Troops”, in Victory Deferred: How AIDS Changed Gay Life in America, Chicago, Ill.; London: The…. From the entry straight woman
  • I hesitated another moment, then followed her with a vow that I would walk out the instant she got lippy.1998, Dana Redfield, “Something in the Air”, in Lucy Blue and the Daughters of Light: A Novel, Charlottesville, Va.: Hampton Roads…. From the entry lippy

Meaning of hesitate

  1. verb To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.
  2. verb To stammer; to falter in speaking.
  3. verb To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.

Full definition of hesitate

Questions about hesitate in a sentence

How do you use hesitate in a sentence?
Hesitate is used as a verb. For example: “He hesitated whether to accept the offer or not; men often hesitate in forming a judgment.”
What is a short sentence with hesitate?
“An elderly pedestrian hesitates in midstreet.”
What does hesitate mean?
Hesitate means to stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: hesitate (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use hesitate in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/hesitate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.