STAGGER Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

stagger

verb

ˈsta-gər

Definition of stagger

as in to lurch

to move forward while swaying from side to side I was so tired last night that I just staggered upstairs to bed without eating dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to falter

to show uncertainty about the right course of action a daunting problem that would make even the most decisive person stagger just a bit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 stagger Arrivals were staggered with people having to wait for hours with nothing to do. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 July 2026 Airbnb, DoorDash, Reddit, and Snowflake all either shortened the 180 days or staggered them. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 3 July 2026 Implementation of the program will be staggered, starting in elementary schools in 2030, for Texas’ more than 5 million students – about 10% of the national total. — Charles J. Russo, The Conversation, 29 June 2026 Since the notices will be staggered, however, some borrowers may have more time. — Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for stagger

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stagger

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
Investors have followed Burnham's path to 10 Downing Street with some consternation, amid fears of a leftward lurch by Labour and a more fiscally loose approach to public spending.

— Hugh Leask, CNBC, 23 July 2026

Definition of lurch

Verb

Last year, in the middle of a hot, brutal, economically challenging season that saw many Miami restaurants falter and diners grow wary of spending, Hiyakawa in Wynwood decided to make a temporary change.

— Connie Ogle July 30, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
Doing so is quite handy because conventional LLMs are not very good at dealing with tabular or spreadsheet data (regular LLMs tend to falter or fail when analyzing such data).

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of falter

Verb

Outside, a gull tottered to the window and tapped its beak against the glass.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

Definition of totter

Verb

And throughout their exchange, Paul weaved in his analysis of Fauci’s actions to frame the one-sided conversation his way.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
The podcast, which launched in 2025, focuses on a single sad track as a means for artists to weave personal narratives.

— Cathy Applefeld Olson, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of weave

Verb

Ella Rubin stars as Annie Jacobson, a high schooler who stumbles into a mystery when her grandfather dies and leaves her an island in Canada—along with a cryptic letter.

— Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 27 July 2026
The story is compelling as ever and a reminder that Xbox stumbled onto some real magic back in 2001.

— Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Definition of stumble

Verb

The dirty vegan takes a different kick, with kale noodles in a savory, creamy vegan broth topped with corn, steamed tofu, rolled tofu skin, sliced green onions and seasonal vegetables.

— Justin Brown, AJC.com, 26 July 2026
Chicago White Sox starter Davis Martin picked up a baseball that had rolled near the mound and tossed it to second base.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026

Definition of roll

Verb

Since 2021, he and his former financing company Creative Wealth Media, which declared bankruptcy in 2023, have been named in at least four lawsuit accusing him of shuffling investments around various entities to repay outstanding loans.

— Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2026
Giants manager Tony Vitello went another way, shuffling a few papers before heading up the tunnel to the home clubhouse.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 27 July 2026

Definition of shuffle

Browse Nearby Words

stages

stagger

staggered

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Stagger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stagger. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of stagger

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on stagger

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

spindrift

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes