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
Some 127 years after its opening, the grande dame of St Moritz continues to draw glamorous guests to its cavernous halls, forever teetering gracefully between Alpine rustic and positively regal.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Feb. 2026
While some offer minimal coverage (occasionally teetering on no coverage), this one gave her an even, flawless complexion.
—Kaelin Dodge, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026
Dent and Booker were failing to turn their fate as UCLA teetered on the bubble in desperate need of a significant victory.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
There’s a timeless feeling of childhood in the unstructured fluidity of their day, teetering on the border of dreaminess and boredom, its possibilities both expanded and limited by the boys’ imagination.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Feb. 2026
While some offer minimal coverage (occasionally teetering on no coverage), this one gave her an even, flawless complexion.
—Kaelin Dodge, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026
Dent and Booker were failing to turn their fate as UCLA teetered on the bubble in desperate need of a significant victory.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
There’s a timeless feeling of childhood in the unstructured fluidity of their day, teetering on the border of dreaminess and boredom, its possibilities both expanded and limited by the boys’ imagination.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teeter
Verb
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But in his first appearances on Olympic ice, Malinin showed some fallibility and faltered in the short program of the team event, finishing behind Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama.—
Alice Park,
Time,
14 Feb. 2026
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Trying to hold all of that in, trying to be the one who never falters is not sustainable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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They were staggered, self-pitying, and seemingly traumatized by the denouement of the Joe Biden years.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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The first 10 minutes of the film are set in Norms, where a grungy man staggers in with a bomb, ranting about artificial intelligence.—
Fielding Buck,
Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Asked during a keynote appearance at Berlin’s European Film Market whether such a deal would be good for the film business, Ford didn’t hesitate.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Glenn and his friends were asked to meet some girls, and the teens didn’t hesitate.—
Yolanda Harris,
AJC.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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A lot of modern pop goes through variations of C, A minor, F and G, then wobble along on top of it.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
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Darcy Kuemper, goalie, B+ Anton Forsberg, goalie, B+ Both members of the Kings’ goalie tandem have stolen points at times and wobbled a bit at others.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When, at my photographer’s request, the president approaches the window of his office to open the blinds, his bodyguard lurches forward to close them.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
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The big polar bear lurched forward, hitting top speed in two strides.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Aaron Peskin, another supervisor who leaned left, said that Newsom vacillated all the way to the end, as if awaiting the arrival of new information.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
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Following years defined by supply chain issues, tariffs and vacillating interest for electric vehicles, carmakers are now also dealing with the traditional problems of affordability and cooling consumer demand.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even the opening credits, some written in slithering hair, seem to tremble out of either fear or ecstasy.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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And the actions of these players have observers: a disempowered domestic staff, forced only to watch in a kind of trembling horror, like Palm Beach waiters seeing altogether too much, linking this work based on Oscar Wilde’s famously controversial play to classic Greek tragedy.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Teeter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teeter. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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