as in stalling
formal
to avoid making a decision or giving a definite answer in order to have more time
Pressured by voters on both sides of the issue, the congressmen temporized.
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temporizing
Verb
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The changes come after several high-profile problems involving autonomous vehicles in San Francisco, including Waymo vehicles stalling and blocking intersections during a blackout in December.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026 -
The veterans have reached a compromise with the administration, stalling the lawsuit for now, with a promise that the administration will follow the legal process to build the arch.—
Emily Guskin,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That is setting batteries up for a dual role as an enabler to putting more green energy on the grid and delaying the phase-out of fossil fuels.—
Mark Chediak,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was recently defeated in an election, had accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying repairs — an allegation that Zelenskyy denied.—
Karel Janicek,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While coverage is expected to be more scattered, isolated strong to severe storms could still produce hail and gusty winds, particularly where daytime heating and lingering boundaries overlap.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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The two men dined at a table alone, lingering long after all other diners had dispersed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Temporizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temporizing. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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