totter

verb

ˈtä-tər How to pronounce totter (audio)
Definition of totternext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of totter Women often totter along a delicate line between beauty and torture, femininity and the bondage of expectation. — Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald, 7 Dec. 2025 In an accompanying cartoon, Spark is caricatured as a sulking giant, tottering above the Tuscan countryside in a pair of high heels. — Literary Hub, 9 June 2026 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 Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for totter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totter
  1. stagger
  2. falter
  3. lurch
  4. tremble
  5. shake
  6. wobble
Verb
  • Implementation of the program will be staggered, starting in elementary schools in 2030, for Texas’ more than 5 million students – about 10% of the national total.
    — Charles J. Russo, The Conversation, 29 June 2026
  • Since the notices will be staggered, however, some borrowers may have more time.
    — Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of stagger
Verb
  • And once performance falters, customers are likely to lose faith in your brand.
    — Brian Coyne, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Russell Henley also made a 4-under push on Sunday to finish 10-under, while Cam Young faltered in the final pairing with a 1-over round to finish 10-under as well.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of falter
Verb
  • Once, somewhere in southern Virginia, Dad performed the customary lurch off the highway in the direction of a promising barbecue counter.
    — Rachel Tepper Paley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
  • The same boom-and-bust dependency on the oil industry, whose profits were now funnelled through the regime and its allies, kept the country lurching from one crisis to the next.
    — Armando Ledezma, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
Definition of lurch
Verb
  • Back in their dorm room after the beating, Valentine watched as Okeadu began to tremble uncontrollably.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 June 2026
  • Each time the leaves trembled, the sunlight filtering through them also wavered.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Definition of tremble
Verb
  • The iconic bunny costume moment, when Elle is tricked into showing up to a non-costume party wearing a Playboy bunny get-up, was the catalyst for exploring how Elle was able to shake that humiliation off.
    — Scarlett Harris, IndieWire, 6 July 2026
  • This tournament has built credibility by showcasing teams competing at a high level, then shaking hands afterward.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of shake
Verb
  • Instead of rising together whenever markets wobble, Treasurys, gold and the yen are increasingly responding to their own macro fundamentals.
    — Lim Hui Jie,Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 July 2026
  • The plate currently featured front and center, SpaceX, has been wobbling after an underwhelming IPO.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 2 July 2026
Definition of wobble

Browse Nearby Words

totted (up)
totter
tottered
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Totter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totter. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on totter

Nglish: Translation of totter for Spanish Speakers

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