falter

1 of 2

verb

fal·​ter ˈfȯl-tər 

faltered; faltering 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.

—National 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

ˈfȯl-tər-ər 

noun

falteringly

ˈfȯl-t(ə-)riŋ-lē 

adverb

falter

2 of 2

noun

: an act or instance of faltering

Synonyms of falter

Verb

• hesitate

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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

Every wildfire that takes down a transmission line, every flood that swallows a road, every heatwave that makes a solar farm falter all slow the very systems meant to replace fossil fuels. —Natalie Unterstell, Time, 6 Nov. 2025

Pressed to find out exactly where the show faltered, Mangan opined that perhaps the sheer amount of talent behind the camera stopped anyone from steering this Hindenburg on course. —Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 5 Nov. 2025

Noun

Our list of sci-fi horror novels spans from 20th-century classics to modern masterpieces, all testing how far humanity goes before reason falters and horror takes over. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025

As the number of kids seeking computer science degrees falters, STEM-minded high schoolers are looking at fields that blend computing with analysis, interpretation, and data. —Sofia Barnett, Wired News, 20 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1834, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for falter

• altar
• alter
• halter
• psalter
• salter
• defaulter

Kids Definition

falter

verb

fal·​ter

ˈfȯl-tər

faltered; faltering

ˈfȯl-t(ə-)riŋ

1

: to move unsteadily : waver

2

: to stumble or hesitate in speech : stammer entry 1

her voice faltered

3

: to hesitate in purpose or action

courage that never falters

falter noun

falterer

-tər-ər

noun

falteringly

-t(ə-)riŋ-lē

adverb