1
as in to falter
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
he nervously teetered at the edge of the pool before finally diving in
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side
the toddler teetered down the rink in her new ice skates
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to hesitate
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
was teetering on the brink of making a decision about college
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of teeter
Favorability has teetered between 30% and 42% since the start of Trump’s first term in 2017.
—
Kate Linderman, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2025
Eventually, after rolling around and teetering on the edge for more than 10 seconds, Smalley’s ball dropped into water to the dismay of all those watching – and the 28-year-old himself.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
Driving Refiners Out of the State California’s refining industry is already teetering on the edge, with several facilities having closed or converted to renewable operations in recent years due to regulatory pressures and high operating costs.
—George Peppas, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2025
Vincent Alban | Reuters Technology stocks teetered in volatile trading Monday as President Donald Trump stood by his sweeping global tariff plans following last week’s devastating sell-off.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Kate Linderman, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2025
Eventually, after rolling around and teetering on the edge for more than 10 seconds, Smalley’s ball dropped into water to the dismay of all those watching – and the 28-year-old himself.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
Driving Refiners Out of the State California’s refining industry is already teetering on the edge, with several facilities having closed or converted to renewable operations in recent years due to regulatory pressures and high operating costs.
—George Peppas, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2025
Vincent Alban | Reuters Technology stocks teetered in volatile trading Monday as President Donald Trump stood by his sweeping global tariff plans following last week’s devastating sell-off.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teeter
Verb
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Musk’s comments about his time allotment come just hours after a group of eight Democratic state treasurers wrote to the chair of Tesla’s board about the company’s faltering performance.—
Miranda Nazzaro,
The Hill,
22 Apr. 2025
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There were days their hitters faltered, their starters struggled, their relievers were unreliable.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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As Harry staggers away from what's left of his victim, Richie seems satisfied.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
20 Apr. 2025
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The data collection efforts that have been shut down or are at risk of being curtailed are staggering in their breadth.—
Alec MacGillis,
ProPublica,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Understanding why companies hesitate, and knowing how to work around it, gives you an edge.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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Tickets are going fast for this panel, so don’t hesitate to secure your spot.—
Lorraine Berry,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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If margins compress further - while the company pours billions into AI with no proven ROI - the entire bull case starts to wobble.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
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Her willpower wobbling, the 37-year-old nurse and mother of three pushed her shopping cart forward, giving the friendly salesman a wide berth.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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My stomach dropped as my seat lurched backwards, pointing me towards the shoreline.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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As the war lurched into its fourth year, Russian losses of tanks, fighting vehicles and other heavy equipment had exceeded 20,000, according to the analysts at the Oryx intelligence collective, which confirms each loss with imagery from the front line.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Here are signs leadership has slipped into chaos: No clear priorities: Leaders who view all issues as urgent communicate constantly vacillating expectations, creating massive confusion.—
Kathy Miller Perkins,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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On Ransom Canyon, Minka Kelly's Quinn vacillates between feelings for wealthy rancher and town bigwig, Davis Collins (Eoin Macken), and longtime crush, salt-of-the-earth rancher, Staten Kirkland (Josh Duhamel).—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Siba raced back inside and dropped to the ground, her entire body trembling.—
Christina Goldbaum,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
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Even some spineless Republicans in Congress—who should be carrying President Trump's flag—are trembling instead of cheering his fight for America's soul.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Through a popular uprising and a long and hideous civil war, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime tottered at times, but held on, propped up by allies Russia and Iran.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2025
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Buruma has much to say about the shifting sands of loyalties as the Nazi and Japanese empires collapsed and the dominions of the old European imperialist powers tottered.—
Max Hastings,
Foreign Affairs,
15 Oct. 2013
Cite this Entry
“Teeter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teeter. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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