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
Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 Apr. 2026
The old liberal institutions may be teetering, but that doesn’t mean that all that’s left is the law of the jungle.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
The 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest before the March international break left Spurs teetering precariously above the relegation zone.
—Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
After three years of failing to advance to the playoffs through the play-in tournament, Donovan is keenly aware of the precipice upon which the team is teetering.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Pulled straight out of Ireland and dropped onto 14th Street, Grace’s boasts dim candlelight, brotherly bartenders, and a leveled grit that leaves you teetering between kicking off a folk song or dragging from a cigarette from a stranger outside.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Mar. 2026
The emotion here, teetering between overwrought and genuinely moving, comes filtered through jangling guitar, heavy reverb, and vocoder.
—E.r. Pulgar, Pitchfork, 10 Mar. 2026
The sales came as the city was grappling with significant financial problems that eventually left it teetering on bankruptcy.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
At the same time, the private credit world is said to be teetering because it is based on syndicated and damaged private equity loans.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2026
Verb
Related Stories Details were not immediately forthcoming, but the deal was expected to include a major cash infusion into the guild’s teetering health fund, which has bled $200 million over the last four years.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 Apr. 2026
The old liberal institutions may be teetering, but that doesn’t mean that all that’s left is the law of the jungle.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
The 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest before the March international break left Spurs teetering precariously above the relegation zone.
—Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
After three years of failing to advance to the playoffs through the play-in tournament, Donovan is keenly aware of the precipice upon which the team is teetering.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Pulled straight out of Ireland and dropped onto 14th Street, Grace’s boasts dim candlelight, brotherly bartenders, and a leveled grit that leaves you teetering between kicking off a folk song or dragging from a cigarette from a stranger outside.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Mar. 2026
The emotion here, teetering between overwrought and genuinely moving, comes filtered through jangling guitar, heavy reverb, and vocoder.
—E.r. Pulgar, Pitchfork, 10 Mar. 2026
The sales came as the city was grappling with significant financial problems that eventually left it teetering on bankruptcy.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
At the same time, the private credit world is said to be teetering because it is based on syndicated and damaged private equity loans.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2026
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.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tatum’s injury was supposed to be a big reason the conference was so wide-open, along with the Indiana Pacers faltering because of Tyrese Haliburton’s own Achilles injury.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Now, as the conflict has shown signs of widening to other countries, including Lebanon and Bahrain, traditional safe-haven assets are showing signs of faltering.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Instead of staggering the fests and conferences over nine or 11 days, everything is now crammed into the same seven-day period, including film and TV, education, comedy and tech.—
Thor Christensen,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Mar. 2026
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Add additional rows of blocks, staggering them over the previous layer and using construction adhesive between rows.—
Daniel Modlin,
Architectural Digest,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Academy seems comfortable celebrating individual excellence within horror while hesitating to crown its films as definitive achievements.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
17 Mar. 2026
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Palmer is the center of the film and building the cast around her initially had Riley hesitating.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Your sunnies should be comfortable and durable, not rickety!—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
26 Mar. 2026
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Still, those sorts of phony statements have deeply diminished faith in our elections and our increasingly rickety democracy.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Still, morale is much worse compared with December 2024, before DOGE took aim at the health agency's budgets and staffing, and before rounds of lurching job cuts and reinstatements left thousands of CDC workers in limbo or severed from their careers.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
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There are plenty of differences, but the stability Atleti have fostered in sticking with Simeone stands in stark contrast to Spurs’ habit of lurching between managers, styles and approaches.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Leaving the Strait of Hormuz in a precarious state risks ignoring that painful lesson.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
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Dylan’s become a Flying Wallenda, pulling arrangements out of shape, not looking down to see just how precarious all of this sounds, as his excellent four-piece band turns towards him, carefully watching his footing.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This is a man who shows up at a bank with two dubious associates — the glowering, hair-trigger Sal (Moss-Bachrach) and, until his stomach gives out, the wobbling hot mess Ray-Ray (Christopher Sears) — and a bunch of guns.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
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Last October, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ignored complaints from Congress and economists to rush through a $20 billion currency swap with the Central Bank of Argentina, aimed at propping up both the peso and Javier Milei’s wobbling presidency.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Teetering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teetering. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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