1
as in staggers
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 falters
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 totters
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
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totters
Verb
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Because of the program's size, the Social Security Administration (SSA) staggers payments across the month to keep the system running smoothly.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
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But Roman breaks free, staggers to his feet and appears to wipe his face, apparently from pepper spray.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
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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
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What never falters is the euphoric chaos of the experience.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sometimes an unexpected event lurches family members into becoming caregivers.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Jan. 2026
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Three seconds later, the Honda crashes into a parked car with such force its tires fly off the street, the pile of cars lurches forward several feet and snow billows.—
Claire Galofaro,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The grades look normal, the homework gets turned in, and then a new unit shows up, and the whole thing wobbles.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
17 Jan. 2026
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Over the next two weeks, these shifts could start to be felt in North America, Europe and Asia as the polar vortex weakens and tumbles south, like a spinning top that slows and wobbles off course.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
19 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Lawrence rocks this statement piece by pairing it with more casual items like a simple black tote bag, a beanie, and a pair of neutral colored pants.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
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In the trailer, Taylor-Joy rocks a platinum blonde chin-grazing bob.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When Dana peeks in and Robby simply shakes his head no?—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
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Thinking back to the days leading up to the 2025 Daytona 500, Sarah Turner Wells shakes her head in astonishment.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totters. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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