Verb
The pile of books teetered and fell to the floor.
She teetered down the street in her high heels.
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Verb
In the last gallery, a magnificent black spider teetered on steel talons.—Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025 In the present day, humanity teeters on the edge of collapse.—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Noun
Lipton is an immensely gifted songwriter — especially in a clever, pop-swingy mode pitched somewhere between Cole Porter and They Might Be Giants — but when the play breaks into meta-theater, his approach teeters.—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025 Both are perfectly capable of turning sequences that teeter on the edge of bathos into brawls.—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for teeter
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English titeren to totter, reel; akin to Old High German zittarōn to shiver
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