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Waver vs Haver - What's the difference?

waver | haver |

As verbs the difference between waver and haver

is that waver is to sway back and forth; to totter or reel while haver is to hem and haw.

As nouns the difference between waver and haver

is that waver is an act of wavering, vacillating, etc while haver is the cereal oats.

waver

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To sway back and forth; to totter or reel.
  • Flowers wavered in the breeze.
  • * Ld. Berners
  • With banners and pennons wavering with the wind.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
  • Thou wouldst waver on one of these trees as a terror to all evil speakers against dignities.
  • To flicker, glimmer, quiver, as a weak light.
  • To fluctuate or vary, as commodity prices or a poorly sustained musical pitch.
  • To shake or tremble, as the hands or voice.
  • His voice wavered when the reporter brought up the controversial topic.
  • To falter; become unsteady; begin to fail or give way.
  • * 1903 , Bill Arp, From the Uncivil War to Date
  • ...and that when a man was in the wrong his courage wavered , and his nerves became unsteady, and so he couldn't fight to advantage and was easily overcome.
  • * 2014 , Jacob Steinberg, " Wigan shock Manchester City in FA Cup again to reach semi-finals", The Guardian , 9 March 2014:
  • Although they believe they can overhaul their 2-0 deficit, they cannot afford to be as lethargic as this at Camp Nou, and the time is surely approaching when Manuel Pellegrini's faith in Martín Demichelis wavers .
  • To be indecisive between choices; to feel or show doubt or indecision; to vacillate.
  • Noun

    (en noun)
  • An act of wavering, vacillating, etc.
  • Someone who waves, enjoys waving, etc.
  • I felt encouraged by all the enthusiastic wavers in the crowd.
    The Fourth of July brings out all the flag wavers .
    Johnny is such a little waver ; everyone who passes by receives his preferred greeting.
  • Someone who specializes in waving (hair treatment).
  • A tool that accomplishes hair waving.
  • (UK, dialect, dated) A sapling left standing in a fallen wood.
  • (Halliwell)

    See also

    * waiver

    haver

    English

    Etymology 1

    .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (British) To hem and haw
  • * 1988 , , Penguin Books, paperback edition, page 154
  • This didn't seem at all unlikely, but when I none the less havered , he insisted that his 'Egyptian fortune-teller' had confirmed it.
  • (Scotland), Usually haiver . To maunder; to talk foolishly; to chatter; talking nonsense; to babble
  • * 1988 ,
  • And if I haver''', yeah I know I’m gonna be / I’m gonna be the man who’s '''havering to you.
  • * 2004 James Campbell, "Boswell and Mrs. Miller", in The Genius of Language (ed. Wendy Lesser), page 194
  • She havers on about her "faither" and "mirra" and the "wee wean," her child, and "hoo i wiz glaiket but bonny forby."

    Etymology 2

    .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (UK, Scotland, dialect) The cereal oats.
  • Etymology 3

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who has, possesses etc.
  • * 1608 ,
  • It is held / That valour is the chiefest virtue, and / Most dignifies the haver : if it be, / The man I speak of cannot in the world / Be singly counterpoised.
    Synonyms
    * holder * possessor ----