as in shaking
marked by or given to small uncontrollable bodily movements
after the accident, she was only able to take a few tottering steps at a time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in staggering
to move forward while swaying from side to side
tottered around the house as she practiced walking in high heels
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in faltering
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 tottering
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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
Models are tottering on the cobblestoned Bond Street with their heels getting stuck in the rivets.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tottering
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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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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
-
That week’s host, Emily Blunt, did the trembly voice-over.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2020
Verb
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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
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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
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
Verb
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In Foini village the Dio Dio Collective organizes chair-weaving workshops, part of efforts to document and revive the island's furniture-making heritage.—
Selina Denman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
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His sympathetic patter also gives Guirgis an opportunity to start weaving in the character’s politics.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Julia demonstrates how to cook a perfect little omelet without using any tools—just by shaking a pan in a magical way.—
Jeffrey Steingarten,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
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Even the threat of reducing security for the Strait of Hormuz risks shaking confidence in a pillar of the world economy, as well as American wealth and power.—
Gerry Doyle,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tottering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tottering. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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