: proper or usual state or condition : order
out of kilter
Examples of kilter in a Sentence
since I dropped my food processor, it's been all out of kilter
Recent Examples on the Web
But that’s not the only way our galaxy’s disk is off-kilter.
—
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 6 Nov. 2025
Marcus Johansson’s overtime winner for the Minnesota Wild was declared a goal after Predators goalie Justus Annunen appeared to use his left arm and leg to knock the net off kilter just as Johansson and Kirill Kaprizov were bearing down on the crease.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2025
To say much more would be to spoil the twisted twists of the plot, in which the director finally applies his affinity for mounting dread to a bona fide horror movie — albeit one characterized by the off-kilter black humor that had become his speciality by that point.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
His genius is in making films that can accommodate their oft-kilter instincts.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kilter
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Phil Plait, Scientific American, 6 Nov. 2025
Marcus Johansson’s overtime winner for the Minnesota Wild was declared a goal after Predators goalie Justus Annunen appeared to use his left arm and leg to knock the net off kilter just as Johansson and Kirill Kaprizov were bearing down on the crease.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2025
To say much more would be to spoil the twisted twists of the plot, in which the director finally applies his affinity for mounting dread to a bona fide horror movie — albeit one characterized by the off-kilter black humor that had become his speciality by that point.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
His genius is in making films that can accommodate their oft-kilter instincts.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kilter
Cite this Entry
“Kilter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kilter. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kilter
noun
kil·ter
ˈkil-tər 
: proper condition
the TV is out of kilter
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