faltered

verb

past tense of falter
1
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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 For example, a manufacturer drowning in unplanned downtime deployed an AI agent to dispatch maintenance the moment a machine faltered. — Sanjay Brahmawar, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 Last year at world championships, Ingebrigtsen faltered in a preliminary heat while Kerr pulled up lame and limped into the finish in a final won by Issac Nader of Portugal. — ABC News, 18 July 2026 But nearly everything else has faltered, including the president’s signature legislative initiative to overhaul elections by, in part, requiring votes to provide proof of citizenship. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026 The Sharks nearly made the playoffs last season, but, for a variety of reasons, faltered down the stretch and finished four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the Western Conference’s second and final wild card spot. — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 16 July 2026 But Caminero faltered over his 15 swings and Walker needed just six homers to move on to the final, where Schwarber, MLB’s home run leader, eventually met him. — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 14 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faltered
  1. hesitated
  2. wobbled
  3. shuddered
  4. shook
  5. rocked
  6. wavered
  7. lurched
Verb
  • When asked if Airbnbs are legal at The Club, Alvarez hesitated.
    — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of hesitated
Verb
  • The structure beneath Klopp wobbled, and Liverpool bounced between sporting directors — one of whom, Jorg Schmadtke, Klopp was allowed to source himself.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 15 July 2026
  • Healthcare is a classic defensive sector, so as the AI trade wobbled and investors booked profits in first-half winners, more money flowed in the direction of companies like J & J, Cardinal and our other Club healthcare name Eli Lilly .
    — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 14 July 2026
Definition of wobbled
Verb
  • The way the stadium shuddered with noise.
    — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 7 May 2026
  • At least the elevator still creaked and shuddered, as in the old days, finally trembling open on the eighth floor.
    — Rick Bragg, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
Definition of shuddered
Verb
  • There was some pink smoke at the start of the match from pyrotechnics, but the air eventually cleared as the action heated up and players from both teams shook off the rust from the long layoff.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
  • After a while Bill came out, shook my hand and beckoned me over to his Capri to take me for my medical down near the docks.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of shook
Verb
  • That said, the latest cuts are not expected to be as sweeping as those that rocked the company in 2023, when dozens of employees—including 20 on-air hosts and analysts (Suzy Kolber, Jeff Van Gundy, Jalen Rose, et al)—were let go.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 21 July 2026
  • While the rapper sported an Argentina jacket to show his support for the country’s national team during the final game that same day, Stormi rocked a Spain jersey.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026
Definition of rocked
Verb
  • Even after the sub-par performance against Paraguay – admittedly, the South Americans’ physicality and aggression contributed to that – the fans’ belief never wavered.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
  • As the city fell in love with soccer, Meola said, the fan support wavered little.
    — Kamran Nia July 9, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2026
Definition of wavered
Verb
  • For example, New York endured weather whiplash on July 18 as the city lurched from a heat wave and smoke pollution from Canadian wildfires to flash flooding from slow-moving thunderstorms that dumped a few inches of rain in a short period of time.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
  • There are vivid characters—the rich, distinguished crook Brandon, the platinum-blond secretary Miss Vermilyea; Javonen, ex-military intelligence, and seedy private eye from Kansas, Noble, who might have lurched out of an early Graham Greene story.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
Definition of lurched

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Cite this Entry

“Faltered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faltered. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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