Verb
The pile of books teetered and fell to the floor.
She teetered down the street in her high heels.
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Verb
Sweet Martha’s cookies are baked to order, then served warm in precariously tall stacks, teetering out of a paper cup, or, better yet, the stand’s signature plastic bucket, which gets loaded with about four dozen cookies despite fitting only three dozen.—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025 The three-month average of the prime-age employment-to-population ratio has been teetering around the current level, but the labor market has remained resilient.—Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
Many teeter on the edge of poverty, said Sandy Markwood, CEO of USAging, a national association representing what are known as area agencies on aging.—Felice J. Freyer, NPR, 16 Aug. 2025 Another concerning possibility is that, when actions consistently prioritize special interests over the public good, incompetence can morph into something else— a line Lamont’s approach teeters on the brink of crossing.—Frank Ricci, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for teeter
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English titeren to totter, reel; akin to Old High German zittarōn to shiver
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