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hesitate

verb
 
🔊/ˈhezɪteɪt/
🔊/ˈhezɪteɪt/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they hesitate
🔊/ˈhezɪteɪt/
🔊/ˈhezɪteɪt/
he / she / it hesitates
🔊/ˈhezɪteɪts/
🔊/ˈhezɪteɪts/
past simple hesitated
🔊/ˈhezɪteɪtɪd/
🔊/ˈhezɪteɪtɪd/
past participle hesitated
🔊/ˈhezɪteɪtɪd/
🔊/ˈhezɪteɪtɪd/
-ing form hesitating
🔊/ˈhezɪteɪtɪŋ/
🔊/ˈhezɪteɪtɪŋ/
Idioms
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  1.  
     [intransitive, transitive] to be slow to speak or act because you feel uncertain or nervous（对某事）犹豫，迟疑不决
    • She hesitated before replying.她犹豫了一下才回答。🔊🔊
    • He seemed to hesitate a second.他似乎犹豫了一下。
    • hesitate about/over something When she hesitated over her order, the waiter gave her an impatient look.当她犹豫不决时，服务生给了她不耐烦的表情。
    • hesitate about/over doing something I didn't hesitate for a moment about taking the job.我毫不犹豫地接受了那份工作。🔊🔊
    • hesitate about/over whether, how, etc… She stood there, hesitating over whether or not to tell him the truth.她站在那儿，犹豫是否要告诉他真相。
    • + speech ‘I'm not sure,’ she hesitated.“我不确定。” 她犹豫不决地说。🔊🔊
    Extra Examples
    • Something about his smile made her hesitate.他微笑的样子令她犹豫起来。
    • I barely hesitated before saying yes.我几乎没有犹豫就同意了。
    • I didn't hesitate about working with Craig.和克雷格一起工作，我没有顾虑。
    • He was hesitating between a glass of wine and an orange juice.他正拿不定主意，不知道该要葡萄酒还是橙汁。
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • a little
    • slightly
    • briefly
    • …
    verb + hesitate
    • appear to
    • seem to
    • make somebody
    • …
    preposition
    • about
    • between
    • over
    • …
    See full entry
  2.  
     [intransitive] hesitate to do something to be worried about doing something, especially because you are not sure that it is right or appropriate顾虑；疑虑
    • Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries.如果有疑问就请尽管和我联系。🔊🔊
    • If you'd like me to send you the book, then please don't hesitate to ask.如果您想让我寄给您这本书，请不要犹豫。
    • She never hesitated to speak her mind.她毫不犹豫地说出自己的想法。
    Topics Doubt, guessing and certaintyb2
    More Like This Verbs usually followed by infinitivesVerbs usually followed by infinitives
    3. Word Originearly 17th cent.: from Latin haesitat- ‘stuck fast, left undecided’, from the verb haesitare, from haerere ‘stick, stay’.
Idioms
he who hesitates (is lost)
  1. (saying) if you delay in doing something you may lose a good opportunity当断不断，反受其乱；优柔寡断者坐失良机