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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wobbled
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
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Recent Examples of faltered
Like last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Hurts had a hot start and then faltered in the second half.
—
Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Although both players were made to save break points early on in the deciding set, Nosková faltered first as Anisimova took a 4-2 lead, cutting down on the unforced errors that were her downfall in the second.
—Frank Nunns O'Connell, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
The ransom notes that followed stirred up an uncontrollable press storm, but when the culprits fell silent, the police faltered, and Catriona and Adam were never seen again.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
Despite a 13-3 surge in August, the club faltered in September and slipped out of the race.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Years later, Rick Ankiel, a Cardinals pitcher, could no longer throw strikes—yet, when he was moved to the outfield, his accuracy rarely faltered from a greater distance.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
The Ravens came in with big expectations this season, but the defense has faltered early.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
The old frontier model received serious criticism, and faltered as ideas of conservation migrated from land to sea.
—Danny Robb, JSTOR Daily, 26 Sep. 2025
But residential customers could also face higher energy consumption and long-term bill increases if investment in the programs faltered.
—Sasha Hupka, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Although both players were made to save break points early on in the deciding set, Nosková faltered first as Anisimova took a 4-2 lead, cutting down on the unforced errors that were her downfall in the second.
—Frank Nunns O'Connell, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
The ransom notes that followed stirred up an uncontrollable press storm, but when the culprits fell silent, the police faltered, and Catriona and Adam were never seen again.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
Despite a 13-3 surge in August, the club faltered in September and slipped out of the race.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Years later, Rick Ankiel, a Cardinals pitcher, could no longer throw strikes—yet, when he was moved to the outfield, his accuracy rarely faltered from a greater distance.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
The Ravens came in with big expectations this season, but the defense has faltered early.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
The old frontier model received serious criticism, and faltered as ideas of conservation migrated from land to sea.
—Danny Robb, JSTOR Daily, 26 Sep. 2025
But residential customers could also face higher energy consumption and long-term bill increases if investment in the programs faltered.
—Sasha Hupka, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faltered
Verb
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Shaking in his seat, Dobby initially hesitated to comment on the subject, but then segment anchor Michael Che offered him some encouragement.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Oct. 2025
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The director hesitated to watch the film at the Cannes Classics showing.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And the Giants have wobbled in proximity to that mediocre mark in each of the past four seasons.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The rotating fan clicked, wobbled, and turned the other way.—
Lauren Rothery,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Earth shuddered with yet another wave of extinctions in this initial chill.—
Peter Brannen,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
-
For much of last season, Atletico appeared set to seriously compete on all fronts, but their season shuddered to a stop in March with a series of disappointing defeats by Barcelona and Madrid across La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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At least two people died and dozens were arrested in Morocco, the latest site of Gen Z protests that have rocked countries worldwide.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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Google has been racing to find ways to integrate generative AI into its search engine since OpenAI rocked the tech sector with the launch of its chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By Brendan Kuty, Jen McCaffrey and Chris Kirschner NEW YORK — The crowd roared, and then the building shook.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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Clark shook her head and said no to both questions.—
Jill Martin,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Hornets were simply maximizing their cap space and never wavered on Mann.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Oct. 2025
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The Warriors never wavered on team option frameworks.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The escalator lurched to a halt just after the pair got on.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
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On Halloween of 2022, just weeks into the new school year, senior Ehni Ler Htoo was making his way through the halls of Proctor High School in Utica, New York, when a fellow student lurched at him from behind, repeatedly plunging a 9-inch hunting knife into his back.—
Tonya Simpson,
ABC News,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Faltered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faltered. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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