as in overwhelmed
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in lurched
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
2
as in hesitated
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
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Recent Examples of staggered
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
The Philadelphia 76ers and a staggered Joel Embiid in the second.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026
The department received bipartisan criticisms for its staggered release of materials related to Epstein, among them its exposure of the names of dozens of victims whose identities had not previously been revealed publicly.
—Brooke Migdon, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
Timed allocations, appointment windows, digital queue tokens or clearer staggered release mechanics would all have helped turn anticipation into order rather than friction into theatre.
—Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
When the ship arrives Monday, crew members and medical staff still on board will disembark in a staggered process, Oceanwide Expeditions said.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 17 May 2026
Under the law, the governor appoints the nine regents of each system — with the consent of the Texas Senate — for staggered terms.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 7 May 2026
The intensive method puts plants closer together in a staggered pattern.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Above the director sat the National Science Board – also presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed, but serving staggered six-year terms designed to outlast any single administration.
—Caroline Wagner, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
Doug Myers, CBS News, 3 June 2026
The lone survivor of the half-hour killing spree, critically injured 49-year-old David Hernandez, staggered to a nearby street where police officers were trying to revive another Santos victim.
—ABC News, 28 May 2026
Three commissioners serve staggered six-year terms.
—Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2026
Commissioners serve staggered six-year terms.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026
Rhodes staggered and Zayn bounced off the rope and pushed Rhodes onto the announce table.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
Highlighting the warmth of the hue is the Sport Design package, which adds gloss black accents and staggered two-tone Sport Classic wheels (20 inches in the front, 21 inches in the back).
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 22 May 2026
Moments later, dazed residents staggered out as others rushed in to help.
—Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
The Chiefs staggered throughout the campaign and looked like a husk of their usual, dominant selves.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Adjective
Freeman envisioned the steep bluff as a natural amphitheater and arranged the villas on staggered terraces that hug the headland to ensure unobstructed ocean views over the roofs below.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
The Philadelphia 76ers and a staggered Joel Embiid in the second.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026
The department received bipartisan criticisms for its staggered release of materials related to Epstein, among them its exposure of the names of dozens of victims whose identities had not previously been revealed publicly.
—Brooke Migdon, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
Timed allocations, appointment windows, digital queue tokens or clearer staggered release mechanics would all have helped turn anticipation into order rather than friction into theatre.
—Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
When the ship arrives Monday, crew members and medical staff still on board will disembark in a staggered process, Oceanwide Expeditions said.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 17 May 2026
Under the law, the governor appoints the nine regents of each system — with the consent of the Texas Senate — for staggered terms.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 7 May 2026
The intensive method puts plants closer together in a staggered pattern.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Above the director sat the National Science Board – also presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed, but serving staggered six-year terms designed to outlast any single administration.
—Caroline Wagner, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
Employers are encouraged to support remote work, staggered shifts, and flexible hours.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 3 June 2026
The lone survivor of the half-hour killing spree, critically injured 49-year-old David Hernandez, staggered to a nearby street where police officers were trying to revive another Santos victim.
—ABC News, 28 May 2026
Three commissioners serve staggered six-year terms.
—Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2026
Commissioners serve staggered six-year terms.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026
Rhodes staggered and Zayn bounced off the rope and pushed Rhodes onto the announce table.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
Highlighting the warmth of the hue is the Sport Design package, which adds gloss black accents and staggered two-tone Sport Classic wheels (20 inches in the front, 21 inches in the back).
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 22 May 2026
Moments later, dazed residents staggered out as others rushed in to help.
—Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
The Chiefs staggered throughout the campaign and looked like a husk of their usual, dominant selves.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staggered
Adjective
-
Less experienced workers can get lost on sprawling teams, line managers can get overwhelmed, and everyone in between can feel rudderless.—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
-
In practice, e-commerce sellers are often overwhelmed with the day-to-day of managing inventory and promotions, fulfilling orders and making sure their accounts are in order.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
As Aden Kassaye and her mother got out to inspect the damage, Beas Solorio reportedly lurched the BMW forward, making contact with Ayalew’s torso, prompting Ayalew to slam her hands on the BMW’s hood to brace herself and yell at the driver.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
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So between those two things, the balance of gerrymanders has lurched pretty abruptly toward the right.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
But at the last second, Pages pulled up to let Tucker make the catch, and Tucker hesitated before flailing after it.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
Pasco County schools Superintendent John Legg said his team has hesitated to dive too deeply into the amendment’s implications, knowing that the Legislature — particularly the House — has yet to weigh in.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Karl-Anthony Towns, who was on the podium with him, took off his glasses and looked at his teammate with a bewildered expression.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
-
Everyone was so relieved to see how bewildered everyone else was that the feeling in this place was almost festive.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The Broncos faltered in the snow, the Nuggets floundered on the hardwood, and now the Avalanche fail on ice.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
-
That faith in his ability and focus had faltered at times over the course of this tempestuous and trying campaign, but it has been restored at the last.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Before long, security surrounded the former fan favorite and dragged him out of the arena in handcuffs as stunned fans watched.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
In 2019, when Cattelan unveiled the work at the Art Basel Miami art fair in Florida, performance artist David Datuna grabbed the banana from the wall, before peeling and eating it in front of hundreds of stunned fair attendees.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
While many of the brand’s lifestyle models are frequently shuffled in and out of production, the 9060 has held on as a staple of the brand’s lineup nearly four years after its retail debut.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
28 May 2026
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He then was shuffled between immigration centers in California, Arizona and Louisiana — before landing in Equatorial Guinea almost six months ago.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
An utterly delectable novel set in Beirut during and after the Lebanese Civil War, about a 72-year-old translator of Western novels into Arabic, an eccentric steeped in books who shares with us her capacious literary sensibility and often bemused vision.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Giddey gave a bemused nod, then a smile.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Staggered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staggered. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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