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 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
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Recent Examples of faltered
The industry also plans to mix hydrogen into its existing gas utility pipeline network, but those efforts have faltered amid local opposition.
—
NPR, 13 Oct. 2025
In a topsy-turvy season where AFC faves Kansas City and Baltimore have faltered, and Jacksonville and Indianapolis have been major surprises, people still want to discount Tomlin and the Black and Gold.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 12 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
NPR, 13 Oct. 2025
In a topsy-turvy season where AFC faves Kansas City and Baltimore have faltered, and Jacksonville and Indianapolis have been major surprises, people still want to discount Tomlin and the Black and Gold.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 12 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faltered
Verb
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While Gregory wanted a pant suit, her mother initially hesitated.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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At first, Sandra Campos hesitated about joining the TikTok trend taking over her feed.—
Christina Noriega,
Refinery29,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In the opener of this series, Miller wobbled at first, then unplugged the raucous Rogers Centre on his way to a 3-1 victory.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 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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Stone, who rocked a daring pixie cut during awards season, has also been making headlines for her style as of late — particularly for opening up about shaving her head for her role in Bugonia.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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The famous couple has been rocked by rumors of a family feud with their oldest son and his wife for a hot minute now.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The new coach shook hands, smiled for cell phone pictures and signed posters for wave after wave of kids.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
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Judkins shook a tackle and showed impressive acceleration on his 46-yard run for the game’s first touchdown, but otherwise the Browns just took what was available and followed the lead of their defense.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Scheyer’s conviction in Knueppel never wavered.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Oct. 2025
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Like a tabby lingering at the threshold, his path wavered in and out of the state, never quite settling.—
Mackensy Lunsford,
Nashville Tennessean,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hollywood lurched into a fresh wave of existential panic this week after Deadline, notating an otherwise dry industry panel on Saturday, September 27, seized on a stray remark.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
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The escalator lurched to a halt just after the pair got on.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Faltered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faltered. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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