From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhesitatehes‧i‧tate /ˈhezɪteɪt/ ●●○ W3 verb 1 [intransitive]PAUSE to pause before saying or doing something because you are nervous or not sure Kay hesitated for a moment and then said ‘yes’.hesitate about/over He was still hesitating over whether to leave or not.2 → don’t hesitate to do something —hesitatingly adverb→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
hesitate• I continued my way around to the front and hesitated.• When they reached the door she hesitated and threw him a pleading look.• He lifted his hand, hesitating, but withdrew it again and sat awhile, quite still.• She hesitated for a moment before replying.• Had we hesitated much longer, we might not even have had the spot on the rooftop.• Paul started to speak but hesitated, searching for just the right words.• Barry stood at the door, hesitating. Should he walk straight in or knock?• If anyone of you is troubled or needs help please don't hesitate to contact me or my wife.• Why would any nation hesitate to serve its own best interests by such sensible and humane redirection of its wealth?hesitate about/over• Those within the existing Community who hesitate over future commitments would form the next circle.• Had she driven poor Tina away by hesitating about paying for the installation of a bathroom?• It had all been so flimsy that Pascoe had hesitated about presenting it to Dalziel.• Since it is quite unusual to need to stop a launch, a shy person would certainly hesitate about shouting out.• Most girls wouldn't hesitate over this sort of thing.• The thought came to him in an instant as he stood, hesitating over whether to join the fight.• Coming out of the bathroom, she hesitated over which bedroom to enter.Origin hesitate (1600-1700) Latin past participle of haesitare “to stick firmly, hesitate”, from haerere “to stick” 