Show sign of hesitation over gift (9)
I believe the answer is:
represent
'show' is the definition.
(I know that show is a more specific form of the action represent)
'sign of hesitation over gift' is the wordplay.
'sign of hesitation' becomes 'er'.
'over' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'gift' becomes 'present' (synonyms).
'er' backwards is 're'.
're'+'present'='REPRESENT'
(Other definitions for represent that I've seen before include "Portray" , "Mean" , "Serve as a symbol for" , "Speak on behalf" , "Illustrate" .)