faltered; faltering
ˈfȯl-t(ə-)riŋ 
1
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
: to utter hesitatingly or brokenly
faltered an excuse
Synonyms
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
Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2024
Her performance falters slightly as the older Tashi, wife to Art and mother of their child.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
In 1969, the House passed a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College and elect a president with a national popular vote, but the measure faltered when Southern senators filibustered it in the Senate.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, the core car business has faltered and needed a series of price cuts just to hit its volume target of 1.8 million vehicles last year.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
And when the Kazakh faltered and conceded three set points at 6-5, Collins pounced to take the first set.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Some of these places have seen their eastern wild turkey populations falter by as much as 50 percent.
—M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 27 Mar. 2024
In the video, the bridge faltered first on the left side of the frame, then in the center, and then its long truss snapped and the right span fell, all in a matter of a few seconds.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Elsewhere, Ecuador faltered against Italy and Uruguay really fell flat on their previous good form with defeat to the Ivory Coast and a draw in the Basque Country.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Rohan Mukherjee, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2024
Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Egypt on Thursday, and will make a stop in Israel on Friday, as talks for a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza falter.
—Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Pushing back The Russian assault on Avdiivka comes after an unconvincing Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer and as Western support for Kyiv falters.
—Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024
Hydrogen excels where battery electric vehicle tech falters.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 25 Feb. 2024
If one income source falters, others can pick up the slack.
—Melissa Houston, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
This number could grow if international funding for aid falters.
—Sarah Yager, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024
Maybe the only falter is dessert, a creamy-icy concoction that includes melon panna cotta and fresh sorrel bingsu.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024
Memory falters, personality changes, language slips, the grasp on complexity vanishes.
—Natalie De Souza, The New York Review of Books, 1 Feb. 2024
Verb
Michael Wacha falters against Mets Wacha didn’t fare well against his former team.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2024
Her performance falters slightly as the older Tashi, wife to Art and mother of their child.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
In 1969, the House passed a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College and elect a president with a national popular vote, but the measure faltered when Southern senators filibustered it in the Senate.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, the core car business has faltered and needed a series of price cuts just to hit its volume target of 1.8 million vehicles last year.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
And when the Kazakh faltered and conceded three set points at 6-5, Collins pounced to take the first set.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Some of these places have seen their eastern wild turkey populations falter by as much as 50 percent.
—M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 27 Mar. 2024
In the video, the bridge faltered first on the left side of the frame, then in the center, and then its long truss snapped and the right span fell, all in a matter of a few seconds.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Elsewhere, Ecuador faltered against Italy and Uruguay really fell flat on their previous good form with defeat to the Ivory Coast and a draw in the Basque Country.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
Voters, for example, may turn against a government that—having set high expectations—falters in protecting expansive versions of the country’s interests and honor.
—Rohan Mukherjee, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2024
Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Egypt on Thursday, and will make a stop in Israel on Friday, as talks for a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza falter.
—Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Pushing back The Russian assault on Avdiivka comes after an unconvincing Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer and as Western support for Kyiv falters.
—Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024
Hydrogen excels where battery electric vehicle tech falters.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 25 Feb. 2024
If one income source falters, others can pick up the slack.
—Melissa Houston, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
This number could grow if international funding for aid falters.
—Sarah Yager, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024
Maybe the only falter is dessert, a creamy-icy concoction that includes melon panna cotta and fresh sorrel bingsu.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024
Memory falters, personality changes, language slips, the grasp on complexity vanishes.
—Natalie De Souza, The New York Review of Books, 1 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'falter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near falter
Cite this Entry
“Falter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/falter. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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