1
as in faltered
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 lurched
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 hesitated
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 teetered
On a 1-1 count, Cubs infielder Matt Shaw hit a weak dribbler down the third base line that teetered on the edge of fair or foul.
—
Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Then one evening, the production teetered on the brink — an arrest, a cover-up, and a crisis that could have shut the film down entirely.
—Tony Lee Moral, IndieWire, 27 Apr. 2026
Its path to passage has teetered all week in a familiar fight, as lawmakers weigh civil liberties concerns against intelligence officials' warnings about national security risks.
—CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
Its path to passage has teetered all week in a familiar fight, as lawmakers weigh civil liberties concerns against intelligence officials’ warnings about national security risks.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
So now a season that has teetered stands on the brink, the Heat’s season possibly to be over within a week, even before the best-of-seven opening round of the playoffs.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
Bomer and Cameron Diaz play his gay best friend and gal pal respectively, an emotional rescue squad for a man who has teetered on the edge perhaps one too many times.
—Cary Darling, Houston Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
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
Two cars teetered at the jagged edge, their noses tipped skyward, almost frozen in the instant before a plunge.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Then one evening, the production teetered on the brink — an arrest, a cover-up, and a crisis that could have shut the film down entirely.
—Tony Lee Moral, IndieWire, 27 Apr. 2026
Its path to passage has teetered all week in a familiar fight, as lawmakers weigh civil liberties concerns against intelligence officials' warnings about national security risks.
—CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
Its path to passage has teetered all week in a familiar fight, as lawmakers weigh civil liberties concerns against intelligence officials’ warnings about national security risks.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
So now a season that has teetered stands on the brink, the Heat’s season possibly to be over within a week, even before the best-of-seven opening round of the playoffs.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
Bomer and Cameron Diaz play his gay best friend and gal pal respectively, an emotional rescue squad for a man who has teetered on the edge perhaps one too many times.
—Cary Darling, Houston Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
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
Two cars teetered at the jagged edge, their noses tipped skyward, almost frozen in the instant before a plunge.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teetered
Verb
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Where the show faltered last night, however, was in assuming a one-size-fits-all approach to its pop-star-hosting formula.—
Charu Sinha,
Vulture,
3 May 2026
-
The merger, announced about a year ago, faltered for several reasons.—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
France lurched from republic to dictatorship to empire before cycling back through absolute monarchy, constitutional monarchy, Second Republic, and Second Empire.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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An indictment filed in federal court in Sacramento on Thursday charges Mendoza Hernandez with one count of assault with a deadly weapon for each time his car lurched forward, incidents the government said were about seven seconds apart.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Representatives from federal health agencies hesitated to back Fogel’s definition after only having a few days to consult with their colleagues at their respective agencies.—
O. Rose Broderick,
STAT,
28 Apr. 2026
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As of last month, that number was about 3 million as employees hesitated to quit at a time when job searches can drag on for months.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The rear wheel wobbled and suffered severe tire wear.—
Bill Gourgey,
Popular Science,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The Celtics wobbled a bit, but found their balance in time to close out the game.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The transition has to be staggered.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Together the strangers slung Haridasse's arms over their shoulders and staggered to the finish line as a trio.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Minutes into the execution, the team warden briefly flicked Hitchcock‘s face and yelled his name twice and shook his shoulders.—
Jeffrey Collins,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Bukele shook off his delusions of being the emperor of social media and abandoned his bullying tactics in the face of the biggest bully.—
Óscar Martínez,
The Dial,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On the floor, waist-high piles of books tottered like miniature leaning towers of Pisa.—
The Christian Science Monitor,
Christian Science Monitor,
12 June 2025
Verb
-
Haitian immigrants became eligible after an earthquake rocked the country in 2010.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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Zack Bolduc and Cole Caufield, on the power play, had spotted Montreal a 2-0 lead as the Bell Centre absolutely rocked again in the anticipation and hope that perhaps their team might take a 3-1 lead over the favoured Lightning.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Teetered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teetered. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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