Synonyms of stagger

stagger

verb

ˈsta-gər 

1

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

• lurch
• totter
• weave
• stumble
• roll
• shuffle
• stomp
• waddle
• careen
• reel
• teeter
• sway
• rock
• dodder
• waver
• wobble
• shamble
• clomp
• clump
• stamp
• blunder
• flounder
• barge
• lump
• tramp
• pound
• scuff
• swag
• seesaw
• scuffle
• lumber
• tromp
• galumph

2

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

• falter
• hesitate
• vacillate
• halt
• waver
• dither
• wait
• scruple
• teeter
• hang back
• balance
• wobble
• pause
• linger
• sway
• debate
• delay
• shilly-shally
• ponder
• dawdle
• haw
• back down
• deliberate
• weigh
• hem
• procrastinate
• oscillate
• chicken (out)
• equivocate
• consider
• hedge
• waffle
• dally
• pussyfoot

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• decide
• continue
• stir
• plunge (in)
• advance
• dive (in)
• budge

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of stagger

Terms last five years and are staggered so that one Commissioner's term ends on June 5 of each year. — Cleve Mesidor, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026

The musician Neil Gust, Elliott’s close friend for years, remembers being staggered by it. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026

The funding document stated that the funding would be staggered and tied to different stages of the project, such as the official announcement of filming in Madrid, the start of shooting, and that Madrid had to appear in the film’s title. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026

Instead, stagger your beach stuff a little so everyone can enjoy their view. — John Natale, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026