Tra từ hesitate - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

hesi·tate [hesitate hesitates hesitated hesitating] BrE [ˈhezɪteɪt] NAmE [ˈhezɪteɪt] verb
1. intransitive, transitive to be slow to speak or act because you feel uncertain or nervous
• She hesitated before replying.
• He seemed to hesitate a second.
•~ about/over sth I didn't hesitate for a moment about taking the job.
•She stood there, hesitating over whether or not to tell him the truth.
•+ speech ‘I'm not sure,’ she hesitated.
2. intransitive ~ to do sth to be worried about doing sth, especially because you are not sure that it is right or appropriate
• Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries.
• If you'd like me to send you the book, then please don't hesitate to ask.
Idiom: ↑he who hesitates
Derived Word: ↑hesitation
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
early 17th cent.: from Latin haesitat- ‘stuck fast, left undecided’, from the verb haesitare, from haerere ‘stick, stay’.

Thesaurus:
hesitate verb
1. I
•She hesitated before replying.
pause • |especially written break off • |especially BrE, disapproving dither •
hesitate/dither over sth
hesitate/pause/break off (for) a moment
hesitate/pause briefly/momentarily/a little
2. I
•Please don't hesitate to ask for help.
hold back • • think twice • • shy away from sth • • shrink from sth •
make sb hesitate/hold back/think twice
hesitate/hold back a little/(for) a moment
Hesitate or hold back? You hesitate when you are unsure what to do; you hold back when what you want to do may not be what sb else wants.

Example Bank:
•He stood hesitating over whether to join the fight.
•He was hesitating between a glass of wine and an orange juice.
•I barely hesitated before saying yes.
•I didn't hesitate about working with Craig.
•Something about his smile made her hesitate.
•I didn't hesitate for a moment about taking the job.
•If you'd like me to send you the book, then please don't hesitate to ask.