TEETERED Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

teetered

verb

past tense of teeter

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

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

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

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 teetered 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 Several Labor lawmakers and the party’s leader in Scotland called for Starmer to resign, his chief of staff and communications director quit, and his premiership teetered on the brink. —

Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026 Earlier this month, Sarandos was grilled by a Senate committee in an antitrust hearing that often teetered on the edge of the profoundly unserious. —

Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for teetered

Verb

But the peace effort ultimately faltered after Iran could not commit to giving up its nuclear ambitions, the president said.

— Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
The match was an Olympics of desperation as the Ducks broke their six-game freefall and San Jose faltered in a must-win position.

— Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 10 Apr. 2026