staggering

adjective

Definition of staggering

:so great as to cause one to stagger :astonishing, overwhelming

a staggering feat

staggering medical bills

—

staggeringly

adverb

See staggering defined for English-language learners

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Examples of staggering in a Sentence

The storm caused a staggering amount of damage.
the staggering scope of the new construction on campus

Recent Examples of staggering from the Web

THE HIT LIST A heartbreaking restaurant of staggering genius Video People used to come to Charleston to ogle the pastel mansions with the pretty side porches.

— Bon Appetit, "Staplehouse," 8 Aug. 2017
BETTING: A staggering 95 percent of the tickets (and 85 percent of the money) are on McGregor (now at the William Hill chain of sports books).

— tim dahlberg, The Seattle Times, "Mayweather, McGregor still trying to hype their fight," 5 Aug. 2017
According to Cowen & Company, a staggering 42 percent of American airline pilots will retire over the next decade, approximately 22,000 in total.

— sophie weiner, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. Is Facing a Disastrous Pilot Shortage," 28 July 2017
UC Health’s community benefits reports – annual statements, required under the ACA, on how much care hospital systems give away or subsidize – illustrate the staggering amounts of money potentially involved.

— randy tucker, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati hospitals tell workers: Speak out against ACA repeal in Senate," 26 June 2017
Trump has talked about sharply restricting H-1Bs, and this year, for the first time, the number of applications dropped a staggering 16 percent as companies prepared for Trump's immigration cutbacks.

— vidhi doshi, chicagotribune.com, "The high-tech jobs that created India's gilded generation are disappearing," 25 June 2017
McDonnell acknowledged the staggering expectations that had been heaped upon his program, expectations not lessened but in fact compounded by the defeats of recent years.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "In season-ending loss, UofL baseball defined by coexistence of success and disappointment," 23 June 2017
This three-hour walk comes with staggering views of Mont Blanc, glaciers, and wildflowers — and a fraction of the Aiguille du Midi crowds.

— rick steves' europe, The Seattle Times, "Spectacular escapes in Europe’s scenic Alps," 20 June 2017
In two decades as the sales boss at Airbus SE, John Leahy has racked up a staggering $1 trillion-plus in orders ranging from diminutive A318s that list for about $75 million up to the double-decker A380, with a price tag topping $400 million.

— christopher jasper, Bloomberg.com, "The Last Hurrah of Airbus’s Trillion-Dollar Man," 19 June 2017

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

First Known Use of staggering

1565

staggering Synonyms

Synonyms

amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, awful, eye-opening, fabulous, miraculous, portentous, prodigious, marvelous, stunning, stupendous, sublime, surprising, wonderful, wondrous

Near Antonyms

unimpressive, uninspiring, unremarkable; boring, dull, jading, monotonous, tedious, tiring, uninspired, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearying; common, customary, mundane, normal, ordinary, typical, unexceptional, usual; draining, enervating, exhausting, fatiguing, wearing; debilitating, enfeebling; demoralizing, discouraging, disheartening, dispiriting

STAGGERING Defined for English Language Learners

staggering

adjective

Definition of staggering for English Language Learners

: very large, shocking, or surprising

Learn More about staggering

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for staggering Spanish Central: Translation of staggering Nglish: Translation of staggering for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of staggering for Arabic speakers

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staggering

Definition of staggering

staggeringly

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STAGGERING Defined for English Language Learners

staggering

Definition of staggering for English Language Learners

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staggering

Definition of staggering

staggeringly

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staggering Synonyms

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STAGGERING Defined for English Language Learners

staggering

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