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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tottering
Verb
-
Cheng likes to build muni bond ladders, which means staggering the maturity dates of multiple bonds.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
29 Oct. 2025
-
To get through the season and the playoffs, staggering the minutes of Green and Horford is logical, even with Quintin Post picking up some center minutes.—
Jannelle Moore,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Darnold has also found some big-game redemption after faltering for the Minnesota Vikings late in the season last year.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Jan. 2026
-
And his retribution campaign—faltering to this point, to be sure—targeted the chairman of the Federal Reserve, who is now the subject of a Justice Department investigation.—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Natanya complicates her old-school character sketch with cerebral shifts in perspective, affecting each of the voices that accompany a young woman’s drive for success and independence (demanding friends and parents, sexist expectations, her own willpower) in a lurching cascade of melodies.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The midterm blue wave backlash is gathering, with the generic ballot lurching in the Democrats' favor and Trump’s popularity cratering.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
That week’s host, Emily Blunt, did the trembly voice-over.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2020
Verb
-
Ramírez arrived in Amman at the moment when the fedayeen groups were at the height of their power and belligerence, and the kingdom was teetering on the brink of all-out conflict.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
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And yet Payton’s sheer confidence — teetering into arrogance — formed an irremovable piece of his identity as a Super Bowl-winning offensive mind in New Orleans.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The dollar is already wobbling against other currencies and has fallen sharply vis-à-vis gold, which is the best barometer of monetary inflation.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Some of the Hoosiers hopped about their Hard Rock Stadium locker room late Monday night, clumps of them doing knee-wobbling dances amidst an air thick with cigar smoke, joy and relief.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Beginning at Sunrise Point Fishing Pier, the route winds northwest through the city—ascending stairways, threading through hillside neighborhoods, and weaving across parks both iconic and obscure—before culminating at Lands End Lookout.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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Noah will stream his experience and reactions across more than 25 World Cup games, weaving in reactions from friends, athletes, and creators.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Structure information summary Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly resistant to earthquake shaking, though some vulnerable structures exist.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
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While Bryant was able to come from behind, the Lady Hornets had a hard time shaking off the Lady Warriors.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tottering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tottering. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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