If speech or movement is halting, it does not flow. The person stops for a moment between words, or between steps, often because they are unsure, nervous, in pain, or still learning. A new speaker may give a halting answer; someone with a sore leg may walk in a halting way. Though actually, it does not mean they have stopped for good. The talking or the walking keeps starting again — stop, go, stop, go. We also say a halting start or a halting recovery when progress comes in little bursts, not in a smooth line. The word is a little formal. It often sounds kind: we are noticing the effort, not laughing at the break.