Verb
The pile of books teetered and fell to the floor.
She teetered down the street in her high heels.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Ukraine National News Ukraine’s economy is teetering on the brink as the war with Russia shows no signs of abating.—Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025 Russia's economy, buoyed for months by wartime spending, may now be teetering toward recession, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Reshetnikov said on Thursday, according to Russian media reports.—Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
Noun
And though the writers may have been reaching for dark laughs, Ellen and Richard’s excuse-laden coddling of their challenged child, presumably now in his 20s, teeters on negligence — or, at the very least, bad parenting.—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025 When this happens, often the characters in question are based on real people for whom the actors have adopted a reverential mimicry that teeters on possession on and off set.—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for teeter
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English titeren to totter, reel; akin to Old High German zittarōn to shiver
Share