hum and haw

/ˌhʌm ənd ˈhɔː/

verb

To procrastinate; to take a long time before doing something or taking a decision.

“We hummed and hawed before finally deciding to buy this house.”

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Meanings

verbhum and haw (third-person singular simple present hums and haws, present participle humming and hawing, simple past and past participle hummed and hawed)

present singular third person hums and haws · participle present humming and hawing · participle past hummed and hawed · past hummed and hawed · alternative hem and haw · alternative hum and ha · alternative um and ah · alternative um and aw

  1. UKidiomaticTo procrastinate; to take a long time before doing something or taking a decision.

    We hummed and hawed before finally deciding to buy this house.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
stammer

Translations

Finnish soutaa ja huovata
  • soutaa ja huovataProcrastinate indecisively
Cite this entry
APA

hum and haw. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hum%20and%20haw

MLA

“hum and haw.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hum%20and%20haw. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hum and haw,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hum%20and%20haw.

Source: hum and haw on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.