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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of teeter
While official figures show America's economy growing at a robust pace, a number of states are currently teetering on the edge of an economic downturn, according to Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi.
—
Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Although the film strays drastically from Stephen King's novel, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is a complex film that teeters between the psychological and supernatural horror subgenres.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Since 2009, Cupertino’s homelessness count has teetered back and forth, reaching a high of 159 in 2019.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
New York teetered on the edge of bankruptcy - the city shuttered more than a dozen firehouses, teachers went on strike and garbage piled up in the streets.
—NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Although the film strays drastically from Stephen King's novel, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is a complex film that teeters between the psychological and supernatural horror subgenres.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Since 2009, Cupertino’s homelessness count has teetered back and forth, reaching a high of 159 in 2019.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
New York teetered on the edge of bankruptcy - the city shuttered more than a dozen firehouses, teachers went on strike and garbage piled up in the streets.
—NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teeter
Verb
-
Rayo began 2023-24 well under Iraola’s successor Francisco Rodriguez but then started to falter.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The Rams did not falter and an 80-yard kickoff return touchdown for Jameson Bongiolatti cut the deficit to 21-7.—
Brian Roach,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Its board of directors has six seats, with elections staggered so that half of the board turns over at a time.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Multiple batteries can address longer gaps in energy production when their discharges are staggered.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But Maye doesn’t hesitate to break the pocket and scramble towards daylight when things break down.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Many people like the idea of innovation but hesitate to share the road with fully autonomous vehicles.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
La Niña sets the stage by keeping moisture available, while the easterly QBO can trigger a wobbling polar vortex that pushes Arctic cold southward.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Freep.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Does your ankle wobble excessively or feel unstable?—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This can result in a kind of emotional whiplash, with the tone of the videos lurching between joy and devastation.—
Lindsay Lowe,
Parents,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Perry’s films can lurch from romance to madcap Madea comedy to skeletons-in-the-closet family drama and back…all in the space of 20 minutes.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The global economy has for months been roiled by a tit-for-tat of mounting tariffs, export controls and other penalties hitting areas from high-tech goods to high-seas shipping, as the US and China have vacillated between escalation and negotiation.—
Betsy Klein,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
-
By the end of March 2018 Aydın seemed unsure whether to try to clear his name or lay low, vacillating between the two strategies.—
Moisés Naím,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The kind of person who trembles at watermarks is not the sort of person who dares to put marble in the dishwasher.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The Maine trembled and angled up, then listed to port, throwing him from his chair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This is a universe in which towers totter above precipices, cellars drip hollowly and women wear impossible dresses in the snow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
-
On the floor, waist-high piles of books tottered like miniature leaning towers of Pisa. My father has always been an avid learner and reader.—
The Christian Science Monitor,
Christian Science Monitor,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Teeter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teeter. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share