How to Use hesitation in a Sentence

hesitation

noun
  • The fadeaway jumpers, the step-throughs, the hesitation moves that lead to easy dunks.
    — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 9 June 2021
  • So, now, all of the dissent, all of the hesitation, all of the concern has just washed away.
    — Washington Post Live, Washington Post, 26 July 2024
  • Another part of the hesitation is the length of time the drugs would be used.
    — Chris Morris, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2024
  • Without hesitation, Arango sent the ball toward the heart of the goal with a heel pass.
    — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2021
  • My taste buds have the same hesitation for most teas, too.
    — Outside Online, 26 Jan. 2023
  • By the end of the week, every Pac-12 team will be on the field, on time, with no outbreaks and no hesitation.
    — oregonlive, 5 Aug. 2021
  • Too much customer hesitation could bring the project to a halt.
    — Isabelle Bousquette, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2023
  • Morinico runs to the bear and pushes it off the fence with no hesitation.
    — Gabriela Miranda, USA TODAY, 2 June 2021
  • On the other side of the aisle, no such hesitation exists.
    — Alex Thomas, The New Republic, 9 May 2023
  • Without hesitation, Jawhar chipped the ball toward the far post and into the back of the net, doubling the Vikings’ lead.
    — Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 28 Sep. 2022
  • Without hesitation, the deputy grabbed the man’s chest and slammed him into a wall.
    — Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2022
  • All of her moves to the basket had a variation of an in-and-out cross or a hesitation cross.
    — Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2021
  • This time there was no hesitation, no pause to weigh the long-term commitment to a face of the franchise.
    — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, 6 Aug. 2021
  • The fires weren’t the only reason for Bell’s initial hesitation to take the job.
    — Liza Esquibias, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
  • But there may be more hesitation to pull the trigger now.
    — Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024
  • The only notable hesitation was the price, paired with the smaller jar size.
    — Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2023
  • After some hesitation, the board agreed to explore the idea.
    — WIRED, 31 Jan. 2023
  • There seemed to be a moment of hesitation before the U.S. golfers slammed down the beers with gusto.
    — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 Sep. 2021
  • There seemed to be a moment of hesitation before the U.S. golfers slammed down the beers with gusto.
    — Ben Steele, USA TODAY, 25 Sep. 2021
  • Without hesitation, my doctor told me that a D&C would be the smoothest route for my body.
    — Samantha Mann, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2023
  • And there feels to be some hesitation from people who are not of color.
    — David Remnick, The New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2024
  • The front end digs in on corner entry, and the short wheelbase helps the rear pivot with no hesitation.
    — Dan Edmunds, Car and Driver, 5 July 2022
  • Delacruz had raised the 89 kg barbell above her head and stood from her squat with little hesitation.
    — Callie Caplan, Dallas News, 24 July 2021
  • Both coaches gave no hesitation that the change did come as a surprise.
    — Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2024
  • Kunkel made a crisp pass to Dwon Odom in the corner and, without hesitation, Odom charged at the basket, cut into the middle of the lane and hit a floater.
    — Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 20 Nov. 2021
  • With all the others there was more thought, more doubt, more hesitation — some more so than others.
    — Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2021
  • The forward drove at the defender, preying on hesitation and a failure to clear the ball.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Was there any hesitation in leveling up to a venue like that?
    — Thomas Smith, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2024
  • The first to get engaged, Nick and Danielle had no hesitation in their engagement.
    — Milan Polk, Men's Health, 18 Feb. 2022
  • The vibe, to borrow the report’s own language, is one of mounting hesitation.
    — Catherine Baab, Quartz, 24 Apr. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hesitation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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