1
as in lurches
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
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2
as in hesitates
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
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Recent Examples of staggers
Make the most of the shoulder seasons Almost all schools in England enjoy the long summer break at the same time (unlike in Scotland, which staggers its school vacation time for each region).
—
Lottie Gross, AFAR Media, 29 Aug. 2025
The agency staggers payments across the month to manage the large volume of recipients.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
Maybe birth rates would rebound, after a disaster or disintegration that staggers us.
—Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Lottie Gross, AFAR Media, 29 Aug. 2025
The agency staggers payments across the month to manage the large volume of recipients.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
Maybe birth rates would rebound, after a disaster or disintegration that staggers us.
—Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staggers
Verb
-
Despite that notable change, watching One Battle After Another is much like the experience of reading Pynchon, who lurches from high comedy to stomach-turning naturalism and punctuates plot-heavy sequences with little grace notes of character portraiture.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
24 Sep. 2025
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That film begins with charismatic bank robber Ryan Gosling in a thrilling motorcycle escape from the cops, and moves through several twists and turns, lurches forward in time, and holds Gosling at its heart as a man doing bad things for good reasons.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If the alliance hesitates, Putin will see weakness and press harder.—
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The actress hesitates for only a second before divulging the story.—
Galina Espinoza,
Flow Space,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Thiago shines while Fernandes falters Brentford produced one of the standout results of the weekend with a convincing 3-1 victory over Manchester United.—
Abdul Rehman,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Max Verstappen's victories in the last two Grands Prix have brought him back into the championship fight, although the 69-point gap to Piastri can only be achieved if McLaren falters on every race weekend.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Staggers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staggers. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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