dither

Word family

dith·er /ˈdɪðə $ -ər/ verb [intransitiveI]

DECIDEto keep being unable to make a final decision about something 犹豫不决

dither over/about/between

He accused the government of dithering over the deal.

他指责政府在这件事上犹豫不决。

Stop dithering, girl, and get on with it!

别犹豫了，姑娘，快点！

—ditherer noun [countableC]

Examples from the Corpus

dither• For many proponents of a flat tax, this is mere dithering.• No weakness was tolerated, no dithering allowed.• If dithering and indecision are a problem for you, this is not your magazine.• Stop dithering and make up your mind.• For those still tempted to dither, consider this.• Marcia was still upstairs, dithering over what she should pack.• There is an inevitable escapade in Paris, followed by dithering, separation and reunion.• My legs dithered weakly and I was breathless.• Why was she dithering when she ought to be doing?

dither over/about/between• And he was remembered too for his commitment to standing up to Slobodan Milosevic in Kosovo after the dithering over Bosnia.• Or listening for days on end while she dithered about her appalling marriage: we'd be bored.• As I was dithering between neglected work and abandoned clearing up, she rang me.• A car smashed into her rear end as she dithered over which direction to take.

Origin dither

(1600-1700) didder “to shake” ((14-19 centuries))

dith·er verb

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus