as in shaking
marked by or given to small uncontrollable bodily movements
after the accident, she was only able to take a few tottering steps at a time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in staggering
to move forward while swaying from side to side
tottered around the house as she practiced walking in high heels
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in faltering
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
the figurine tottered precariously for a moment before falling off the shelf
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tottering
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Neither of them understands the other’s dynamic with Daniel, and the split-episode format keeps our sympathies teeter-tottering between each woman.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for tottering
Verb
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Cheng likes to build muni bond ladders, which means staggering the maturity dates of multiple bonds.—
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To get through the season and the playoffs, staggering the minutes of Green and Horford is logical, even with Quintin Post picking up some center minutes.—
Verb
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The other half sees an economy on the verge of faltering, with rising unemployment, that needs easier money to avoid recession.—
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Efforts to advance a US peace plan for Gaza appear to be faltering over reconstruction and security challenges.—
Verb
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The midterm blue wave backlash is gathering, with the generic ballot lurching in the Democrats' favor and Trump’s popularity cratering.—
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After 40 days, the longest government shutdown in American history finally appears to be lurching toward an end.—
Adjective
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That week’s host, Emily Blunt, did the trembly voice-over.—
Verb
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The Hawks have injuries and key players missing, but this was teetering before Young got back into the mix, and Atlanta has a middling offense with a bad defense.—
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That event led to a 22% decline in the population of Rice’s whales, a devastating impact on a species teetering on the edge of survival.—
Verb
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Picture a wobbling human jenga tower.—
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After years of brisk growth, the Texas economy began wobbling in 2025, as tariffs, rising macroeconomic uncertainty and reduced immigration all began to take a toll on the jobs market.—
Verb
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The debate over lasting solutions reveals the complexity of how criminal organizations have grown so powerful, weaving themselves into nearly every layer of Brazilian society over time.—
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What results is a familiar historical drama, weaving together many various characters in the buildup to the climactic courtroom showdown.—
Verb
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Structure information summary Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly resistant to earthquake shaking, though some vulnerable structures exist.—
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While Bryant was able to come from behind, the Lady Hornets had a hard time shaking off the Lady Warriors.—
Cite this Entry
“Tottering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tottering. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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