hesitate

Universal Words verb 1 ~ (about / over sth) to be slow to speak or act because you feel uncertain or nervous: [V] She hesitated before replying. * I didn't hesitate for a moment about taking the job. * He seemed to hesitate a second. * She stood there, hesitating over whether or not to tell him the truth. [also Vspeech] 2 [Vtoinf] 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. hesitation noun [U,C]: She agreed without the slightest hesitation. * We were trained to speak fluently and without unnecessary hesitations.