halting
Americanadjective
-
faltering or hesitating, especially in speech.
-
faulty or imperfect.
-
limping or lame.
a halting gait.
adjective
-
hesitant
halting speech
-
lame
Other Word Forms
- haltingly adverb
- haltingness noun
- unhalting adjective
- unhaltingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of halting
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at halt 2, -ing 2
Explanation
The adjective halting is used to describe something that is fragmentary or prone to interruptions. If you are overcome with emotion at your wedding, you may choke out your vows in a halting voice. The adjective halting can describe something or someone with limping or disabled legs or feet. If you have sprained your ankle and it's icy out this winter, you will probably walk with a halting gait and walk slowly and carefully. The word halting in this sense comes from the Old English word lemphalt, which means "limping."
Vocabulary lists containing halting
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction, halting the $6.2 billion Nexstar-Tegna merger on antitrust grounds.
From Barron's • Apr. 18, 2026
Gasps turned to cheers as his safety brake snapped into place, halting the fall.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
Quiñones told the board that reducing or halting the city’s use of water from the Mono Basin would be “unwarranted, imprudent, and place undue financial burden on LADWP’s ratepayers.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026
On 28 April 2025, shortly after midday, the Iberian peninsula's electricity supply was shut down, causing widespread chaos, cutting internet and telephone connections and halting transport links.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
When she asked him in halting English about the acidity of soil and how it affected the corn crop, Charlie said, “Knows her dirt.”
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
