dither

1 of 2

verb

dith·​er ˈdi-t͟hər How to pronounce dither (audio)
dithered; dithering ˈdi-t͟h(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce dither (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: shiver, tremble
the dithering of grassWallace Stevens
2
: to act nervously or indecisively : vacillate
dithering about what to do next
There's no time to dither.
ditherer noun

dither

2 of 2

noun

: a highly nervous, excited, or agitated state : excitement, confusion
The news of her arrival had us all in a dither.
dithery adjective

Examples of dither in a Sentence

Verb We don't have time to dither. She did not dither about what to do next. Noun Grandma usually gets in a dither if I don't make my weekly call. we were all in a dither while we waited for the test results
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Editorial: House Speaker Mike Johnson must stop dithering on Ukraine aid and hold a vote. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024 The former Israeli commander has lost both a son and a nephew in the fighting in Gaza and accused Netanyahu this week of dithering and avoiding the necessary deliberations about what postwar Gaza should look like. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024 But Beijing dithered, and so financial markets, worried under so much questionable debt, had not the resources to support adequate economic growth. Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The months the president spent dithering in the face of terrorist aggression raised the stakes of this conflict. The Editors, National Review, 12 Jan. 2024 Power has long said the United States bears a unique responsibility to prevent mass atrocities and has admonished U.S. dithering in the face of large-scale violence, such as the Clinton administration’s handling of the genocide of Rwanda’s Tutsi minority. John Hudson, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024 In its October 7 attack, Hamas demonstrated its commitment to fighting Israel in contrast to a dithering PA. Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 4 Jan. 2024 Its forces dithered about entering Katanga, causing Tshombe’s breakaway regime to further establish itself with Belgian help. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023 Ukraine’s supporters have at times complained that the United States and its allies have dithered in providing more effective artillery, air defense, and tanks. Austin Carson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2023
Noun
Democrats are raising alarms that Vladimir Putin could advance on Kyiv while Congress dithers. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 And as the bodies pile up in the streets, the U.N. dithers with resolutions. Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press, 3 Sep. 2023 This film dithers for three hours, as if viewers were also morally uncertain and aesthetically gullible. Armond White, National Review, 21 July 2023 Center Theatre Group, in a dither after Michael Ritchie’s lackluster tenure, is undergoing a search for its new leader. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2023 Don’t know why Cowboys fans are all in a dither about Jerry Jones trading for Deebo Samuel, who wants out of San Francisco. Dallas News, 26 Apr. 2022 This version takes Jones, a charismatic actress with a lithe, flexible voice, and gives her little to do except stress and dither. Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 8 Aug. 2022 In this case, the focal family is all in a dither, readying for a Christmas trip to Paris. Duane Bygre, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Nov. 2022 Delay or dither and things get disproportionately worse. Helio Fred Garcia, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2021

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

Word History

Etymology

Verb

variant of didder in same sense (with [dr̥] > [ðr̥] as in father entry 1, gather entry 1), going back to Middle English dideren "to tremble, shiver," of imitative origin

Noun

derivative of dither entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1819, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dither was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near dither

Cite this Entry

“Dither.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dither. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dither

1 of 2 noun
dith·​er ˈdit͟h-ər How to pronounce dither (audio)
: a highly nervous or excited state
the news had him in a dither
dithery
-ə-rē
adjective

dither

2 of 2 verb
dithered; dithering
: to act nervously or indecisively

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