Synonyms of hang back

hang back

verb

as in to hesitate

to show uncertainty about the right course of action

she hung back in offering her opinion about her daughter's career choices because it wasn't her business

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hesitate
• falter
• wait
• debate
• balance
• vacillate
• halt
• scruple
• dither
• wabble
• stagger
• waver
• pause
• back down
• sway
• wobble
• teeter
• delay
• chicken (out)
• linger
• haw
• hem
• ponder
• procrastinate
• deliberate
• weigh
• shilly-shally
• dawdle
• consider
• equivocate
• oscillate
• waffle
• hedge
• dally
• pussyfoot

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• decide
• plunge (in)
• dive (in)
• continue
• stir
• advance
• budge

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of hang back

One reporter spotted Menendez hanging back to avoid sharing an elevator with Fetterman last week. —Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 13 May 2024

For over two years, capital has been hanging back – and that capital must move because it is held in closed-end funds, with a typical 10-year lifespan. —Control Risks, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

The kids decide to hang back at the restaurant for the night when Bob buys coveted candy (Sour Sack Babies), and the place gets overrun with desperate trick-or-treaters. —Lillian Brown, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024

For many global companies and banks, hanging back will be the easiest and safest course of action. —Eric Lorber, Foreign Affairs, 15 July 2015