as in lurching
to move forward while swaying from side to side
was doddering down the walk outside the nursing home
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in senile
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of doddering
W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 30 May 2025
Does the diagnosis explain Biden’s occasionally doddering affect?
—Adam B. Kushner, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Even that sounds dismissive like Flynn is some doddering old man.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2025
As many Democrats in Congress have struggled to respond to the fire hose of disruption—at times seeming downright doddering in response to the White House’s potential upending of the constitutional order—the 53-year-old Schatz has helped his party find their footing.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for doddering
Verb
A week before the debate, NBC News fretted about whether the fact-checkers would be able to stay on top of all the viral videos purporting to show a doddering Biden.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 30 May 2025
Does the diagnosis explain Biden’s occasionally doddering affect?
—Adam B. Kushner, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Even that sounds dismissive like Flynn is some doddering old man.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2025
As many Democrats in Congress have struggled to respond to the fire hose of disruption—at times seeming downright doddering in response to the White House’s potential upending of the constitutional order—the 53-year-old Schatz has helped his party find their footing.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for doddering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doddering
Verb
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The administration’s lurching one way and another with tariffs is another example.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
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The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Back on the domestic front, Jeanine has reason to believe that her husband, Paul (Mark O’Brien), is having an affair with her senile mother’s caregiver.—
Michael Rechtshaffen,
The Hollywood Reporter,
9 Sep. 2023
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Don Quixote himself is too often a senile dodderer; Daniel Rubin was creaky in body but youthfully quixotic in spirit.—
Jeffrey Gantz,
BostonGlobe.com,
17 Mar. 2023
Verb
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Then the Dodgers stopped by in October for an NLDS heavyweight title bout — and the Phillies are already staggering through a standing 8-count.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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The young men in Bruins blue and gold staggering off the field afterwards dazed, confused.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Hollywood legend Cary Grant goes full-on slapstick as a man who discovers his sweet elderly aunts are actually serial killers.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
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This proposes altering the state constitution to increase the property tax exemption for homesteads owned by elderly or disabled individuals from $10,000 to $60,000 of the market value.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There are decently unsettling moments as Mia’s quest leads her to poke around a decrepit former amusement park, the empty prison and other sites.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
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The former property manager had briefly tried to move Daniels into a less decrepit unit – but did not follow through with tenants on recurring issues.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Suddenly, a horde of ragged, bloodied creatures appear, their feet shuffling along the pavement, their hollow eyes locked on fleeing figures ahead.—
Tom Duszynski,
The Conversation,
16 Oct. 2025
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But after some shuffling at the position, Horn finally got his opportunity and immediately impacted the offense with the threat of his speed.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That's not to say all of Golden State's top contributors are geriatric.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Oct. 2025
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Yet that same 30-year period saw a flurry of research and activity to try to reduce geriatric falls and their potentially devastating consequences, from hip fractures and brain bleeds to restricted mobility, persistent pain, and institutionalization.—
Paula Span,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Chef Xavier Deshayes creates traditional dishes inspired by the region, weaving in produce from local growers and his own personal farm in the Virginia countryside.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
19 Oct. 2025
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The house was so distinctive that Armstrong adapted his script to fit it, weaving in elements like its bowling alley to shape both the narrative and the characters’ world.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Doddering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doddering. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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