dither

Elias has decided to stay put even as prices dither.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

And while Hamlet may dither in seeking revenge for his father’s murder, we don’t hope that the scheming Claudius gets away with it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner promised "no more dither and delay" on rebalancing the rights of tenants with those of landlords.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2024

Providing this road map of his intentions puts Smith on firm footing to challenge the judge if she continues to dither.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2024

To dither and dally when the window of opportunity opens means to end up with one’s nose pressed against the glass of fate, gazing with regret at what might have been.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

But the feature dithers in development, which becomes something of a running joke here; the shot of a stone-faced Mr. McElwee watching a ridiculous promo reel is a moment of perfectly understated comedy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

The narrator dithers over how much she wants a leadership position in this unofficial hierarchy of casual dismissiveness, earnestness avoidance and radical obsolescence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2021

Foster dithers over a clearance, the ball at his feet.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 30, 2019

But as the company dithers, its users are organizing.

From The Verge ● Aug. 16, 2018

Jack Odin had seen B-47’s come in with a great deal more hubbub and dithers than the Nebula had caused.

From Hunters Out of Space by Joseph Everidge Kelleam

Kinsky had earlier rushed out to stop Adam Armstrong reaching a long ball after Kevin Danso dithered and allowed the striker to sprint ahead.

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026

The air force had flagged the need for new advanced fighter aircraft 25 years ago, but successive governments dithered on the purchase.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026

Colfax was a front-runner to succeed Greeley at the helm of the Tribune but faced resistance from his wife and hesitated to seek the job, which went to distinguished correspondent Whitelaw Reid while Colfax dithered.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 12, 2022

While local officials dithered over its fate, its whereabouts remained a mystery, and many want to keep it that way.

From New York Times ● May 5, 2022

Madam Malkin dithered for a moment on the spot, then seemed to decide to act as though nothing was happening in the hope that it wouldn’t.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

After months of burying the accusations, and more than two years of dithering, the International Criminal Court at last fired its prosecutor, Karim Khan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Winchcomb says some of the "dithering" may be because of the potential knock-on effect of any legislation for users of mobility scooters.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

"What needs to happen now is for the Labour Party to stop dithering and be the voice of workers," she added.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

If Mr. Linklater, a well-established New York stage actor, cannot make Ben’s emotional dithering either original or believable, he at least brings a taut intensity to his performance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

“A Princess’s reception? A Royal Command?” she shrieked, dithering.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck