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
Relevance
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
The two boxers teetered against each other, exhausted, until Padilla stepped in again, pulling Ali’s gloves off the back of Frazier’s neck.
—
Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
The original Sex and the City boasted one of the best foursomes in TV history, with Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha’s wildly different personalities perfectly balancing each other out — and once Samantha was removed, the whole show teetered unsteadily like a table missing a leg.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 14 Aug. 2025
Shares of both stocks teetered on Tuesday before closing slightly higher.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2025
Violeta was on her mobility scooter, and Julia teetered on Jay’s arm.
—Bridget Read, Curbed, 18 Dec. 2024
Gabby Barrett also teetered on the line, with plans to double down even further.
—Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2024
In some places, homes teetered on hillsides and washed-out riverbanks.
—Jeff Amy, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024
In some places, homes teetered on hillsides and riverbanks that had been washed away.
—Jeff Amy, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2024
The Aggies have long teetered on the tipping point of college football’s top subdivision, eschewing pressures over the years to call it a day and drop down to FCS.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
The original Sex and the City boasted one of the best foursomes in TV history, with Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha’s wildly different personalities perfectly balancing each other out — and once Samantha was removed, the whole show teetered unsteadily like a table missing a leg.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 14 Aug. 2025
Shares of both stocks teetered on Tuesday before closing slightly higher.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2025
Violeta was on her mobility scooter, and Julia teetered on Jay’s arm.
—Bridget Read, Curbed, 18 Dec. 2024
Gabby Barrett also teetered on the line, with plans to double down even further.
—Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2024
In some places, homes teetered on hillsides and washed-out riverbanks.
—Jeff Amy, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024
In some places, homes teetered on hillsides and riverbanks that had been washed away.
—Jeff Amy, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2024
The Aggies have long teetered on the tipping point of college football’s top subdivision, eschewing pressures over the years to call it a day and drop down to FCS.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teetered
Verb
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Like last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Hurts had a hot start and then faltered in the second half.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Although both players were made to save break points early on in the deciding set, Nosková faltered first as Anisimova took a 4-2 lead, cutting down on the unforced errors that were her downfall in the second.—
Frank Nunns O'Connell,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Hollywood lurched into a fresh wave of existential panic this week after Deadline, notating an otherwise dry industry panel on Saturday, September 27, seized on a stray remark.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The escalator lurched to a halt just after the pair got on.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Shaking in his seat, Dobby initially hesitated to comment on the subject, but then segment anchor Michael Che offered him some encouragement.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The director hesitated to watch the film at the Cannes Classics showing.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And the Giants have wobbled in proximity to that mediocre mark in each of the past four seasons.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The rotating fan clicked, wobbled, and turned the other way.—
Lauren Rothery,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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All eight teams are playing on the final day of the regular season — with times TBD, but hopefully staggered — which could make this the most chaotic finale yet.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Additional departure dates are staggered throughout July and August.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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By Brendan Kuty, Jen McCaffrey and Chris Kirschner NEW YORK — The crowd roared, and then the building shook.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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Clark shook her head and said no to both questions.—
Jill Martin,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At least two people died and dozens were arrested in Morocco, the latest site of Gen Z protests that have rocked countries worldwide.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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Google has been racing to find ways to integrate generative AI into its search engine since OpenAI rocked the tech sector with the launch of its chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Earth shuddered with yet another wave of extinctions in this initial chill.—
Peter Brannen,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
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For much of last season, Atletico appeared set to seriously compete on all fronts, but their season shuddered to a stop in March with a series of disappointing defeats by Barcelona and Madrid across La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Teetered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teetered. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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