Definition of FALTER

Choose the Right Synonym for falter

Verb

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

Examples of falter in a Sentence

Verb

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 on the Web: Verb

The devices found that not only did reaction times falter as firefighters remained longer on a fire before getting a mandatory break, Brooks said, but firefighters also tended to take longer to recover as the season progressed. — Keith Ridler, The Seattle Times, "Study shows wild-land firefighters suffer health, reaction-time declines," 2 Sep. 2018 The rally has sparked worries that demand may falter, and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies appear to be reacting to that idea with the first offer to boost output since January 2017. — Staff And Wire Services, Houston Chronicle, "Oil dives as OPEC signals plan to boost supplies," 25 May 2018 When Will and Phoebe’s relationship begins to falter, there’s another project waiting in the wings in the personage of The Incendiaries’ enigmatic third main character, John Leal. — Constance Grady, Vox, "In R.O. Kwon’s terrific new novel The Incendiaries, a cultist looks for meaning in tragedy," 3 Aug. 2018 But analysts have warned that the Trump administration's sanctions strategy has already begun to falter in the wake of the summit, as China and other countries begin to relax punitive measures. — David Nakamura, chicagotribune.com, "Trump releases 'nice note' from Kim Jong Un praising progress despite setbacks in talks," 12 July 2018 It is said that Steinbrenner may have elected Martin to a sixth term in 1990 if the Yankees faltered under then-manager Bucky Dent, but Martin died in a car accident on Christmas in 1989. — Tom Verducci, SI.com, "Nine Innings: How Bryce Harper Is Trying to Revive His Season, What We Learned in the First Half and More," 9 July 2018 The famously larger-than-life personality’s grand emotional display on Tuesday tracked the dramatic twists and turns of the game, which saw Lionel Messi score a beautiful goal early on before Argentina’s play began to falter. — Raisa Bruner, Time, "Soccer Legend Displays Every Mood Known to Man With His Dramatic World Cup Reaction," 26 June 2018 Tommy Hunter and Seranthony Dominguez were the latest to falter. — Scott Lauber, Philly.com, "A closer look at Phillies reliever Tommy Hunter's season so far | Extra Innings," 20 June 2018 But after a sale to New York State’s Oneida Indian Nation, the paper’s free-press reputation began to falter. — Alden Woods, azcentral, "'Our New York Times': Premier tribal news outlet relaunches, still faces old hurdles," 13 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

As private-sector job growth falters, the clamor for quotas builds. — Sadanand Dhume, WSJ, "India’s Ethnic Quotas Are a Cautionary Tale," 24 Jan. 2019 Borrowers may struggle to repay their loans if interest rates continue to rise or global growth falters, the BOE said. — Jason Douglas, WSJ, "BOE Warns of Growing Risks in Global Debt Markets," 27 June 2018 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

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.