as in overwhelmed
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1
as in lurched
to move forward while swaying from side to side
I was so tired last night that I just staggered upstairs to bed without eating dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in hesitated
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
a daunting problem that would make even the most decisive person stagger just a bit
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Recent Examples of staggered
Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
When the ship arrives Monday, crew members and medical staff still on board will disembark in a staggered process, Oceanwide Expeditions said.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 17 May 2026
Under the law, the governor appoints the nine regents of each system — with the consent of the Texas Senate — for staggered terms.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 7 May 2026
The intensive method puts plants closer together in a staggered pattern.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Above the director sat the National Science Board – also presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed, but serving staggered six-year terms designed to outlast any single administration.
—Caroline Wagner, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
The board will include two members from each existing school board and three at-large members from anywhere in the county, and elections for the new board won’t begin until 2030, with full staggered terms not in place until 2032.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2026
In September, the council also approved raises for Denver police officers, who will receive staggered pay bumps, adding a cumulative 16% to their salaries over the next three years.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
The Social Security Administration (SSA) distributes payments on a staggered schedule throughout each month rather than sending them all at once.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Katie Woo, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Indiana has staggered statewide elections, so Bray is not up for reelection until 2028, but his leadership position could be in jeopardy with the results of Tuesday's election.
—Caroline Linton, CBS News, 6 May 2026
By the time the Magic staggered into Detroit for Game 7 on Sunday afternoon, the outcome felt less like a question and more like an inevitability.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
When Your State’s Medicaid Work Requirement Kicks In The rollout is staggered.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Together the strangers slung Haridasse's arms over their shoulders and staggered to the finish line as a trio.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 25 Apr. 2026
Murray and Johnson staggered with the bench unit.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
This is when your tiles are laid both horizontally and staggered.
—Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 18 Apr. 2026
The prospect of talks appeared to bolster the tentative ceasefire in the Iran war that has staggered under the weight of Israel’s bombardment of Beirut, Tehran’s continued chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty over whether talks can find common ground.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Timed allocations, appointment windows, digital queue tokens or clearer staggered release mechanics would all have helped turn anticipation into order rather than friction into theatre.
—Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
When the ship arrives Monday, crew members and medical staff still on board will disembark in a staggered process, Oceanwide Expeditions said.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 17 May 2026
Under the law, the governor appoints the nine regents of each system — with the consent of the Texas Senate — for staggered terms.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 7 May 2026
The intensive method puts plants closer together in a staggered pattern.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Above the director sat the National Science Board – also presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed, but serving staggered six-year terms designed to outlast any single administration.
—Caroline Wagner, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
The board will include two members from each existing school board and three at-large members from anywhere in the county, and elections for the new board won’t begin until 2030, with full staggered terms not in place until 2032.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2026
In September, the council also approved raises for Denver police officers, who will receive staggered pay bumps, adding a cumulative 16% to their salaries over the next three years.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
The Social Security Administration (SSA) distributes payments on a staggered schedule throughout each month rather than sending them all at once.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
But Betts’ staggered playing time will only last so long, and the Dodgers would like to refrain from having both Kim and Freeland on the bench.
—Katie Woo, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Indiana has staggered statewide elections, so Bray is not up for reelection until 2028, but his leadership position could be in jeopardy with the results of Tuesday's election.
—Caroline Linton, CBS News, 6 May 2026
By the time the Magic staggered into Detroit for Game 7 on Sunday afternoon, the outcome felt less like a question and more like an inevitability.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
When Your State’s Medicaid Work Requirement Kicks In The rollout is staggered.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Together the strangers slung Haridasse's arms over their shoulders and staggered to the finish line as a trio.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 25 Apr. 2026
Murray and Johnson staggered with the bench unit.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
This is when your tiles are laid both horizontally and staggered.
—Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 18 Apr. 2026
The prospect of talks appeared to bolster the tentative ceasefire in the Iran war that has staggered under the weight of Israel’s bombardment of Beirut, Tehran’s continued chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty over whether talks can find common ground.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staggered
Adjective
-
They are lost in the abyss of the deep ocean, unable to recognize themselves or their surroundings, overwhelmed and terrified.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
People are often flooded with anger, and their ability to think is enormously overwhelmed.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
So between those two things, the balance of gerrymanders has lurched pretty abruptly toward the right.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
-
Meanwhile, federal policy has lurched in opposite directions.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
But they are mentioned without context, in a way that underlines the Smithsonian’s touchy relationship with an administration that has not hesitated to strong-arm the institution.—
Kelsey Ables,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
-
Times when studios hesitated about festivals?—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
Everyone was so relieved to see how bewildered everyone else was that the feeling in this place was almost festive.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Numerous cryptocurrency novices become bewildered by intricate decals and fluctuating percentages.—
Malana VanTyler,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Diplomatic efforts aimed at a more durable peace have faltered.—
Jon Gambrell,
Fortune,
17 May 2026
-
The ceasefire remains tenuous, with diplomatic efforts for a more durable peace having faltered.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
Some looked stunned, others threw up their hands or clapped.—
Camila Gomez,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
-
But within seconds of being knocked back, the responding officers were back up, checking on each other and evacuating stunned residents — including several children — from the rubble of the home, the video shows.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Shielded by her team, Cardi B shuffled out to the street, a blob of black nylon.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Women in America’s boardrooms made strides as corporations shuffled their mostly White and male lineups in the face of the historic pushback in 2020.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
An utterly delectable novel set in Beirut during and after the Lebanese Civil War, about a 72-year-old translator of Western novels into Arabic, an eccentric steeped in books who shares with us her capacious literary sensibility and often bemused vision.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Giddey gave a bemused nod, then a smile.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Staggered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staggered. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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