falter

verb fal·ter \ ˈfȯl-tər \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

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Examples: falter in a Sentence

Definition of falter

faltered; faltering play \ˈfȯl-t(ə-)riŋ\

intransitive verb

1 a : to walk unsteadily : stumble

the … stranger falters out of the thicket and drops to his knees
—Dudley Fitts

b : to give way : totter

could feel my legs faltering

c : to move waveringly or hesitatingly

forced to bail out of faltering airplanes over the Alps
—Nat'l Geographic

2 : to speak brokenly or weakly : stammer

her voice faltered

3 a : to hesitate in purpose or action : waver

he never faltered in his determination

b : to lose drive or effectiveness

the business was faltering

transitive verb

: to utter hesitatingly or brokenly

faltered an excuse

—

falterer

play \ˈfȯl-tər-ər\ noun

—

falteringly

play \ˈfȯl-t(ə-)riŋ-lē\ adverb

See falter defined for English-language learners

See falter defined for kids

Examples of falter in a Sentence

The business was faltering due to poor management.
Their initial optimism has faltered.
signs that the economy is faltering
Her steps began to falter.

Recent Examples of falter from the Web

Odorizzi faltered after being given an 8-1 lead in his first start against his former club.

— brian hall, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Twins hit Nathan Eovaldi hard, hold off Rays 11-8," 14 July 2018
As the cynical veteran actor, Vernon, Steve Bruun never falters, delivering an outstanding performance with stellar stage presence.

— patti restivo, Howard County Times, "Laurel Mill Playhouse presents 'Laughing Stock'," 6 July 2018
While France faltered in trying to regain some of its Indian footholds lost in the Seven Years War, Great Britain succeeded.

— alice george, Smithsonian, "The American Revolution Was Just One Battlefront in a Huge World War," 28 June 2018
Perhaps unsurprisingly, these efforts faltered as the summer continued.

— hannah giorgis, The Atlantic, "Teyana Taylor’s Music Has Matured, but Has Her Label?," 25 June 2018
Before Maier, stints with Katie Grand, Stuart Vevers, and Giles Deacon faltered.

— lindsay peoples, The Cut, "Bottega Veneta Will Soon Have a New Designer," 13 June 2018
Those efforts faltered further when Cannon suddenly fell ill with a fever and a cough.

— megan molteni, WIRED, "The Life, Death, and Dream of a Research Diversity Crusader," 10 June 2018
The Hoosiers faltered in the Big Ten tournament, losing two of three, with both setbacks coming to Illinois.

— brent zwerneman, San Antonio Express-News, "A&M’s Janca gets homecoming as Aggies host Hoosiers in Austin," 31 May 2018
While Trump stresses the importance of securing the border, efforts in Congress to pass a sweeping immigration bill are faltering.

— brooke singman, Fox News, "Trump rips media for ignoring Angel Families 'permanently separated' by illegal immigrant crime," 22 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'falter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of falter

Middle English

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

falter Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of falter

hesitate, waver, vacillate, falter mean to show irresolution or uncertainty. hesitate implies a pause before deciding or acting or choosing.

- hesitated before answering the question

waver implies hesitation after seeming to decide and so connotes weakness or a retreat.

- wavered in his support of the rebels

vacillate implies prolonged hesitation from inability to reach a firm decision.

- vacillated until events were out of control

falter implies a wavering or stumbling and often connotes nervousness, lack of courage, or outright fear.

- never once faltered during her testimony

falter

noun

Definition of falter

: an act or instance of faltering

Recent Examples of falter from the Web

Why, then, does the pulse of the narrative falter in the second half?

— anthony lane, The New Yorker, "Gus Van Sant’s Semi-Surreal “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot”," 13 July 2018
The Broncos are left without a prized rookie QB to take over if Case Keenum falters, but the team around Keenum has been improved.

— mark maske, chicagotribune.com, "AFC draft grades: The Broncos are alone at the top followed by a lot of pass/fails," 30 Apr. 2018
Then again, maybe the Kawhi Leonard-less Spurs falter and find themselves out of the playoff picture for the first time since 1997.

— sam amick, USA TODAY, "Viewer's guide to NBA's wild Western Conference playoff race," 2 Apr. 2018
In other words, a lot of Chinese capital is still eyeing the exits: If global trade falters and U.S. rates rise, China’s currency could be in for another test sooner than many expect.

— nathaniel taplin, WSJ, "Is the Yuan in China’s Trade-War Arsenal?," 13 Apr. 2018
But jobs could be in jeopardy if business falters, critics say.

— c. j. hughes, New York Times, "In the Catskills, New Hope for the Return of Tourism," 27 Mar. 2018
Sinclair anticipates that improved blood flow could be important in helping not just aging tissues and organs, but speeding healing of wounds, particularly for people with diabetes who often lose fingers and toes as their circulation falters.

— alice park, Time, "This Compound Can Reverse Aging in Mice. Will It Work in People?," 22 Mar. 2018
Stockmann is able to persuade his friends, including the editor of the newspaper, that telling the truth about the water is important, but his environmental campaign falters.

— rachel shteir, New York Times, "Ibsen Wrote ‘An Enemy of the People’ in 1882. Trump Has Made It Popular Again.," 9 Mar. 2018
However, his reputation with West Ham supporters was quickly soured following an abysmal start to the following season, seeing his side falter in the league and being threatened with relegation to the Championship.

— SI.com, "Former West Ham Manager Slaven Bilic Reveals He Regrets Not Leaving the Club After 2016/17 Campaign," 26 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of falter

see ¹falter

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1834

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

FALTER Defined for English Language Learners

falter

verb

Definition of falter for English Language Learners

: to stop being strong or successful : to begin to fail or weaken
: to begin to walk or move in an unsteady way
: to feel doubt about doing something

FALTER Defined for Kids

falter

verb fal·ter \ ˈfȯl-tər \

Definition of falter for Students

faltered; faltering

1 : to move unsteadily : waver

2 : to hesitate in speech

3 : to hesitate in purpose or action

Learn More about falter

See words that rhyme with falter Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for falter Spanish Central: Translation of falter Nglish: Translation of falter for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of falter for Arabic speakers

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falter

Definition of falter

falterer

falteringly

Examples of falter in a Sentence

Recent Examples of falter from the Web

Origin and Etymology of falter

falter Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

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Synonym Discussion of falter

falter

Definition of falter

Recent Examples of falter from the Web

Origin and Etymology of falter

FALTER Defined for English Language Learners

falter

Definition of falter for English Language Learners

FALTER Defined for Kids

falter

Definition of falter for Students

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