waver
/'weivə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb:
- To move back and forth or sway unsteadily: To move with a trembling or quivering motion, often from side to side or up and down.
- To become unsteady or show weakness; to falter: To lose strength, determination, or certainty; to begin to fail or hesitate.
- To feel or show indecision; to vacillate: To be unable to decide between different opinions or courses of action; to fluctuate between choices.
Noun:
- An act or instance of wavering: A moment of hesitation, unsteadiness, or fluctuation.
Examples of Usage
Verb:
- The candle flame began to waver in the draft. (Describes an unsteady, flickering motion.)
- Her voice wavered with emotion as she gave the speech. (Shows a trembling or unsteady quality in sound.)
- He never wavered in his support for the project. (Means he did not become less certain or strong in his support.)
- I'm wavering between the chocolate cake and the cheesecake. (Expresses indecision between two options.)
Noun:
- There was a brief waver in his confidence before he continued. (Refers to a momentary lapse in certainty.)
Advanced Usage
"To waver on the brink of (something)": To hesitate at the point of making a critical decision or taking an action.
- The company wavered on the brink of bankruptcy before the new investment.
"Without a waver": Used to describe an action performed with steady, unwavering commitment or certainty.
- She answered the difficult question without a waver in her voice.
Variants and Related Words
Wavering (adj/n): Describes something that is unsteady, hesitant, or fluctuating.
- His wavering commitment caused problems for the team.
Waverer (n): A person who hesitates or is indecisive.
- He was no waverer; once decided, he acted.
Synonyms
- Verb: Falter, hesitate, vacillate, fluctuate, sway, tremble, flicker.
- Noun: Hesitation, fluctuation, indecision, faltering.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions
(Note: "Waver" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its meanings are typically expressed directly.)
Related Idioms
"To stand firm and not waver": To remain resolute and not show any hesitation or weakness.
- Despite the pressure, she stood firm and did not waver.
"A wavering line": Can describe both a physically unsteady drawn line or, metaphorically, an inconsistent policy or boundary.
- The treaty established a clear border, not a wavering line on the map.
Noun
- the act of moving back and forth
- the act of pausing uncertainly
- there was a hesitation in his speech
- someone who communicates by waving
Verb
- give off unsteady sounds, alternating in amplitude or frequency
- sway to and fro
- move back and forth very rapidly
- the candle flickered
- move or sway in a rising and falling or wavelike pattern
- the line on the monitor vacillated
- move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
- be unsure or weak
- Their enthusiasm is faltering
- pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
- Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures