FALTERED Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

faltered

verb

past tense of falter

as in hesitated

to show uncertainty about the right course of action William Lloyd Garrison never once faltered in his demand that slavery be unconditionally abolished

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as in trembled

to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side the cut tree seemed to falter for a moment before crashing to the ground

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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.

Recent Examples of faltered Trial diversity faltered after the administration purged all references to DEI from the websites of its agencies and in much of its research. — Helen Branswell, STAT, 6 July 2026 Erdoğan’s rise as a nationalist leader As Turkey's economy slowed and regional ambitions faltered, Erdoğan pivoted once again. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026 Those gains came even as semiconductors — the force behind many of the market's gains this year — faltered last week, with investors paring exposure to chipmakers and rotating into other sectors. — Lee Ying Shan,fred Imbert, CNBC, 5 July 2026 Brazobán faltered, however, allowing a walk and two hits, the last of which being a two-out RBI single by Trae Turner that put the Phillies up, 2-1. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 27 June 2026 Meanwhile, the Valkyries’ offense faltered. — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 27 June 2026 Can Andy Burnham make the tough choices to succeed where others have faltered? — Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 25 June 2026 When Johnson faltered, Clark had plenty of breathing room — and a quick turnaround. — Doug Ferguson, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026 The relentless posting of videos the Russian authorities have tried to limit shows growing dissent, and message management that has ultimately faltered. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 18 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for faltered

Verb

The French back line hesitated for a brief second, anticipating a potential foul, but Porro pressed the advantage and side-footed a shot past Mike Maignan in the 58th minute for the backbreaking goal.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
Family described him as a kind and humble man who worked hard and never hesitated to help others.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of hesitated

Verb

Each blast was louder than the one before, and the walls of the house shook violently.

— Laura Kiniry, Popular Science, 16 July 2026
Last October, a roaring blast and fire at Chevron’s El Segundo plant stayed within the refinery footprint but the noise shook the neighborhood and turned the sky sunset-orange, then smoky.

— Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Definition of shook

Verb

The deaths of three people in a boat crash on Lake Pepin over the weekend have rocked the small town situated in southeastern Minnesota on the Mississippi River.

— Ashley Grams, CBS News, 13 July 2026
Screen quality is often where budget laptops stumble, but Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook Plus bucks the trend to deliver a stellar OLED display that rocked our world.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 13 July 2026

Definition of rocked

Verb

Amateur cartographers released homemade maps of potential upzoned areas, while some cities wavered over whether their stops would be included or not.

— Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Steve Tew, district attorney for Ouachita and Morehouse parishes, has never wavered in his insistence that Duncan was guilty of murder and that he should be put to death.

— Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 29 June 2026

Definition of wavered

Verb

Adams’ shoulders lurched on the bench, while Richards fell to his knees, dug his afro into the grass, and closed his eyes in pain.

— Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 7 July 2026
Initial data indicates both of these earthquakes were strike-slip, Magnani said, meaning one plate lurched past the other along the boundary.

— Evan Bush, NBC news, 25 June 2026

Definition of lurched

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“Faltered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faltered. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of faltered

verb

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