Word
haw
US/ˈhɔ/
UK/hˈɔː/
Definition
v. to pause or hesitate while speaking because you are not sure what to say. It is almost always used in the phrase 'hem and haw'.
v. to hesitate or make indecisive sounds during speech. Typically occurs in the fixed binomial 'hem and haw' to indicate stalling or an inability to reach a decision.
Examples
“Stop trying to haw and just tell me the truth.”
“The manager began to hem and haw when asked directly about the upcoming layoffs.”
“Rather than providing a definitive answer to the committee, the witness continued to hem and haw, effectively stalling the investigation for another hour.”
Examples
simple
“Stop trying to haw and just tell me the truth.”
contextual
“The manager began to hem and haw when asked directly about the upcoming layoffs.”
complex
“Rather than providing a definitive answer to the committee, the witness continued to hem and haw, effectively stalling the investigation for another hour.”
Usage
Almost exclusively used alongside 'hem' as part of the phrasal idiom 'hem and haw'.
Pitfall
he began to haw and hem
he began to hem and haw
The idiom is a fixed binomial; the order of the words cannot be reversed.
Etymology
From Middle English ha (interjection). Compare Old Norse há (interjection), Middle Low German ha, hā (interjection), Old High German aha, hei (interjection).
From Middle English hawe, from Old English haga (“enclosure, hedge”), from Proto-Germanic hagô (compare West Frisian haach, Dutch haag, German Hag (“hedged farmland”), Norwegian Bokmål hage (“garden”)), from Proto-Indo-European kagʰom (compare Welsh cae (“field”), Latin caulae (“sheepfold, enclosure”), cohum (“strap between plowbeam and yoke”), Russian кош (koš, “tent”), коша́ра (košára, “sheepfold”), Sanskrit कक्ष (kakṣa, “curtain wall”)), from *kagʰ- 'to catch, grasp' (compare Welsh cau (“to clasp”), Oscan kahad (“may he seize”).
Assumed to be interjectory, but compare Old English hawian (“to observe, look”)
Late Middle English (denoting a discharge from the eye), of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Etymology 2 above, describing a berry.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Idioms
01. hem and haw
02. hum and haw
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C2 ProficiencyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.8.5–9.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 6.0114–120
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C2 · Proficiency
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/haw