falter

play

verb fal·ter \ ˈfȯl-tər \

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

Therefore if credit slows, China’s growth must falter.

— The Economist, "A debt rollercoasterCredit growth in China is causing jitters," 20 July 2017
Louisville City may have reached new heights in the stands, but the club faltered on the pitch in a 3-2 loss.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville City FC crowd sets attendance record against FC Cincinnati," 15 July 2017
Sano could prove to be one of the sleeper contenders in this year’s competition should any of the favorites falter. Seeded player: 6.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Home Run Derby, not All-Star Game, is real star of baseball’s midsummer break," 9 July 2017
Economists have raised concern that growth under Trump could begin to falter as the economic recovery enters its ninth year — the third-longest since World War II.

— christopher s. rugaber, The Seattle Times, "US employers add strong 222K jobs; jobless rate at 4.4 pct.," 7 July 2017
For GE, this is the age of localization—the company’s survival strategy in an era of rising protectionism, increasingly powerful foreign customers and faltering global trade.

— paul page, WSJ, "Today’s Top Supply Chain and Logistics News From WSJ," 30 June 2017
But the partnership faltered, and the executive committee of the University of Louisville board of trustees approved an agreement last December for UMC to resume control of the hospital this weekend.

— darla carter, The Courier-Journal, "University of Louisville Hospital begins a new chapter as KentuckyOne Health exits," 28 June 2017
Now the costs are being felt at home in Britain and retail sales are faltering as wages fail to keep up with prices.

— Washington Post, "The pain and gain of Brexit vote: British economy a year on," 23 June 2017
Something of a hole-in-the-wall storefront, its success has never faltered during the 28 years Greg Hildebrand has owned it.

— riordan zentler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "At Cow Records in Ocean Beach, one man keeps the vinyls spinning," 23 June 2017

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

See Words from the same year

falter Synonyms

Synonyms

balance, dither, hesitate, halt, hang back, scruple, shilly-shally, stagger, teeter, vacillate, waver, wobble (also wabble)

Antonyms

dive (in), plunge (in)

Related Words

haw, hem; dally, dawdle, delay, linger, pause, procrastinate, wait; back down, chicken (out); consider, debate, deliberate, ponder, weigh; oscillate, sway; equivocate, hedge, pussyfoot, waffle

Near Antonyms

decide; budge, stir; advance, continue

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

Falter, a fifth-round pick by the Phillies in 2015, won his third consecutive decision to improve to 7-6, 3.12 ERA.

— ed barkowitz, Philly.com, "Minors recap: Reading wins 15-inning marathon, RBI for Adam Haseley in Lakewood debut," 16 Aug. 2017
The falter comes as mixed messaging from the White House has led to uncertainty over whether the Trump administration has a coherent plan to contain Kim Jong-un's regime and nuclear ambitions.

— john patrick pullen, Fortune, "Markets Dive Again After Trump Doubles Down on North Korea ‘Fire and Fury’ Threat," 10 Aug. 2017
That has left some worried that if the trade relationship falters, Mexico could suddenly be on shaky ground.

— clifford krauss and azam ahmed, New York Times, "Trump’s Anti-Nafta Stance Is on a Collision Course with Natural Gas," 26 June 2017
But, even after each falter, Yellowjackets coach Jeremy Story was there to absorb any angst his team underwent like a sponge, ordering for huddles behind the dugout in between the second and third innings.

— Howard County Times, "Chapelgate baseball rallies past Indian Creek," 9 May 2017
Coal executives misread the market in China, racing to develop mines there only to see demand falter, which also caused U.S. coal exports to slump.

— hiroko tabuchi, The Seattle Times, "Coal jobs prove lucrative, but not for those in the mines," 3 May 2017
Stan Meyers, an analyst at Piper Jaffray Cos. who covers Disney, predicts that by 2020, as its TV profit falters, operating income from the parks will climb by 64 percent, to $5.4 billion.

— devin leonard, Bloomberg.com, "Disney’s Intergalactic Theme Park Quest to Beat Harry Potter," 19 Apr. 2017
The current local production aims high on all counts — but falters.

— joanne ostrow, The Know, "Review: “Evita” at Lone Tree Arts Center aims high but falters," 14 Apr. 2017
The second can be hard to contemplate, when health falters and medical crises can change lives in an instant.

— liz weston, The Denver Post, "Liz Weston: To retire right, plan to do it twice," 26 Mar. 2017

Origin and Etymology of falter

see ¹falter

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1834

See Words from the same year

FALTER Defined for English Language Learners

falter

play

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

play

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

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falterer

falteringly

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Examples of falter in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of falter

falter Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of falter

falter

Definition of falter

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Origin and Etymology of falter

FALTER Defined for English Language Learners

falter

Definition of falter for English Language Learners

FALTER Defined for Kids

falter

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