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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of teeter
The crushing amount of what was owed was so dire that the city teetered on the brink of bankruptcy and its debt was downgraded to junk.
—
Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026
What makes this weekend important is that Philadelphia was teetering.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
The district teeters on the edge of insolvency in the face of a mayor and his main backer, the Chicago Teachers Union, staunchly opposed to consolidating any schools even though a third of them are at less than half their student capacity.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
The emotion here, teetering between overwrought and genuinely moving, comes filtered through jangling guitar, heavy reverb, and vocoder.
—E.r. Pulgar, Pitchfork, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026
What makes this weekend important is that Philadelphia was teetering.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
The district teeters on the edge of insolvency in the face of a mayor and his main backer, the Chicago Teachers Union, staunchly opposed to consolidating any schools even though a third of them are at less than half their student capacity.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
The emotion here, teetering between overwrought and genuinely moving, comes filtered through jangling guitar, heavy reverb, and vocoder.
—E.r. Pulgar, Pitchfork, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teeter
Verb
-
Washington led 111-106 with 6 1/2 minutes remaining, but the Wizards defense faltered after that.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Iran and the United States hardened their positions as a diplomatic push for a ceasefire in the Middle East war appeared to falter on Thursday.—
Jon Gambrell,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Stack your left foot on top of your right, or stagger your feet so both are on the ground.—
Jenny McCoy,
Outside,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The two would stagger back into the house, sweaty, looking a mess and talking a mess, too.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
From coordinating painting, flooring and cabinet removal to troubleshooting daily obstacles during the summer, Higman answered every call, provided solutions and never hesitated to step in, according to Filamor.—
Cyril A. Reinicke,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Alvarez, seeing his pitcher hesitate, tapped his helmet for a challenge.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Iran has responded by effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, bringing oil shipments to a halt and causing the global economy to wobble.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
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Republicans, meanwhile, are not eager to advertise that their Senate majority is wobbling like a shopping cart with a bad wheel.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The leftward lurch could cost Republicans control of Congress for the president’s final two years in office.—
Steve Peoples,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Since then, the larger culture has lurched rightward, with big corporations abandoning progressive signaling in favor of…other priorities.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Trump has vacillated between indifference and contempt for the USMCA, at times threatening to pull out of the agreement altogether and work instead to negotiate two separate, bilateral deals with Mexico and Canada.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Trump’s remarks vacillated between defiant and scathing.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The kind of person who trembles at watermarks is not the sort of person who’s putting marble in the dishwasher.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
19 Mar. 2026
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One man described how, before fleeing home in Tehran, explosions made his 6½-year-old son tremble in fear.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Models are tottering on the cobblestoned Bond Street with their heels getting stuck in the rivets.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Teeter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teeter. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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