1
as in to falter
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
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2
as in to stagger
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 to hesitate
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
was teetering on the brink of making a decision about college
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of teeter
Despite the dramatic implications of the film’s title, Erupcja has a casual, slice-of-life vibe to it that prevents Bethany and Rob’s woes from teetering into melodrama.
—
Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
In a series that is admirably earnest, Last Rites easily takes the cake as the most wholesome chapter of the bunch, its insistence on God and faith teetering on religious propaganda.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
In addition to political persecution, returning Venezuelans would reenter a country teetering on collapse—maligned by hyperinflation, soaring unemployment, rampant crime, frequent power outages, water shortages and chronic scarcities of food and medicine.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
The policy helped cut Louisiana's uninsured rate in half and shored up rural hospitals that had been teetering on closure.
—Drew Hawkins, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
In a series that is admirably earnest, Last Rites easily takes the cake as the most wholesome chapter of the bunch, its insistence on God and faith teetering on religious propaganda.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
In addition to political persecution, returning Venezuelans would reenter a country teetering on collapse—maligned by hyperinflation, soaring unemployment, rampant crime, frequent power outages, water shortages and chronic scarcities of food and medicine.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
The policy helped cut Louisiana's uninsured rate in half and shored up rural hospitals that had been teetering on closure.
—Drew Hawkins, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teeter
Verb
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Francis was leading from a place of unification and camaraderie where all of these boys, Stebbins included, don’t want to see each other falter and don’t want to see each other die.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2025
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Deals collapse when communication falters.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Roughly two-thirds of the state’s billionaires made their fortunes in finance and investments, including richest resident (former NYC mayor) Michael Bloomberg, who’s worth staggering $109 billion.—
Ella Malmgren,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Losing Garcia for any length of time would further stagger an Astros pitching staff that can ill afford any more attrition.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Surgery under fire When news of the donor heart came, Todurov did not hesitate.—
Ruchi Kumar,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2025
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Tran said some Republican clubs have even hesitated to ask their universities for support or security for their events.—
Hanna Kang,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jurors saw some wobbling footage that appeared to be taken from inside a bush, though prosecutors did not explicitly make clear if the footage was taken from Routh's perch.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
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With job growth tanking and the economy wobbling, pressure is on for the Federal Reserve to start lowering interest rates, with markets now expecting a cut at each of the three remaining meetings this year.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To make for a more energy efficient and less nerve-racking exodus experience, once the line grows large enough, pulsing begins, wherein vehicles move in packs rather than lurch along at 5 mph.—
Denver Nicks,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
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The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Stocks vacillated Friday, with the major averages falling during midday trading after making a move to all-time highs earlier in the day.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
5 Sep. 2025
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Lawsuits have followed many of these funding actions, and the subsequent back-and-forth legal battles have left some grants vacillating between canceled and reinstated.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In the elevator of the Associated Press Building at Rockefeller Plaza, Sunny’s brows trembled.—
Kiran Desai,
New Yorker,
3 Aug. 2025
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But then the cheers from his fans would begin, and Hogan would tremble with energy.—
John DeVore,
Rolling Stone,
26 July 2025
Verb
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As Joe Biden tottered and fell (literally as well as metaphorically), more than a few pundits compared him to Lear, a man who was ruined by age, pride, and the flattery of sycophants.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2025
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Dina Tomczak, the school’s athletic director, tottered into her office having barely slept.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Teeter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teeter. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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