1
as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side
tottered around the house as she practiced walking in high heels
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to falter
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 totter
But The Gilded Age doesn’t do pure villains with its main cast, and Oscar totters between failson and tragic figure, the closeted heir of the Van Rhijn family dragged to hell and back after being defrauded of his mother’s fortune.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
On the floor, waist-high piles of books tottered like miniature leaning towers of Pisa.
My father has always been an avid learner and reader.
—The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2025
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
Dina Tomczak, the school’s athletic director, tottered into her office having barely slept.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for totter
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
On the floor, waist-high piles of books tottered like miniature leaning towers of Pisa.
My father has always been an avid learner and reader.
—The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2025
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
Dina Tomczak, the school’s athletic director, tottered into her office having barely slept.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for totter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totter
Verb
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Ware has since moved to a bench role and Spoelstra has staggered the minutes of Adebayo and Ware for 16 straight games.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
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The trio fled; Cordell staggered to his feet, blood gushing from his face.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But in his first appearances on Olympic ice, Malinin showed some fallibility and faltered in the short program of the team event, finishing behind Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama.—
Alice Park,
Time,
14 Feb. 2026
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Trying to hold all of that in, trying to be the one who never falters is not sustainable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When, at my photographer’s request, the president approaches the window of his office to open the blinds, his bodyguard lurches forward to close them.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
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The big polar bear lurched forward, hitting top speed in two strides.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even the opening credits, some written in slithering hair, seem to tremble out of either fear or ecstasy.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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And the actions of these players have observers: a disempowered domestic staff, forced only to watch in a kind of trembling horror, like Palm Beach waiters seeing altogether too much, linking this work based on Oscar Wilde’s famously controversial play to classic Greek tragedy.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In recent editions, the rosters were drafted by James, Durant and Antetokounmpo in an attempt to shake things up.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2026
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Jothan saw us and shook our hands, as did Michael Ray, but Sun Ra scuffled by with an air of depthless blankness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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A lot of modern pop goes through variations of C, A minor, F and G, then wobble along on top of it.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
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Darcy Kuemper, goalie, B+ Anton Forsberg, goalie, B+ Both members of the Kings’ goalie tandem have stolen points at times and wobbled a bit at others.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totter. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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