as in tottering
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1
as in faltering
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
he nervously teetered at the edge of the pool before finally diving in
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in staggering
to move forward while swaying from side to side
the toddler teetered down the rink in her new ice skates
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in hesitating
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
was teetering on the brink of making a decision about college
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of teetering
Zach Harper, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
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.
—Christian Wagley, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2026
Dashcam and bystander video captured the SUV spinning out of control and sliding off the road, before coming to rest against a tree, teetering hundreds of feet above the slope below.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
All of this is taking place as the box office is in a rut, cable is in free fall and the overall economy is teetering.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 31 Dec. 2025
To finance America’s teetering Social Security system and to pay for programs such as Medicare, the federal government relies primarily on revenues collected from working people.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Both are loners teetering on the fringes of society, and Eady’s ability to see McCauley as a real person, even if only as a stranger reading a book, is enough to undo his entire worldview.
—Jesse Raub, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
But Kansas City is finally teetering, having been eliminated from the playoffs Sunday with a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Yet as countries prepare to gather in Brazil for COP30, the Paris agreement, and by extension the UNFCCC itself, is teetering on the brink of irrelevance.
—Jessica F. Green, Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for teetering
Adjective
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Neither of them understands the other’s dynamic with Daniel, and the split-episode format keeps our sympathies teeter-tottering between each woman.—
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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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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Despite unified denouncements of antisemitism, Fetterman criticized colleagues for hesitating to fully confront anti-Israel hostility.—
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After a 5% rebound rally, the benchmark is hesitating a bit around 6850, comfortably near the upper end of a two-month range but perhaps marking some time to gather itself ahead of next week's Fed meeting.—
Adjective
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The result was a gleaming skyscraper held up by some rickety wooden boards, duct tape, and magic.—
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Everything looks so rickety — this stadium wasn’t built for pandemonium like this.—
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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Gorton and Hughes had traded draft picks before, but nothing like this, a sign that the rebuild was entering a new, precarious phase, one where playoff participation is now an expectation and not a luxury.—
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Costs continue to rise, services continue to be cut, safety seems precarious.—
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.—
Cite this Entry
“Teetering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teetering. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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