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 Cuba has teetered on the verge of a humanitarian collapse but came close to reaching a deal with the United States in March, as first reported by USA TODAY. —

Rick Jervis, USA Today, 13 May 2026 The vast majority of Sacramento’s homeless population are Sacramentans who were our next-door neighbors, who teetered on the edge of poverty until falling off a financial cliff into homelessness. —

Robin Epley, Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026 There were also some moments in which his season teetered on the edge of disaster. —

Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 9 May 2026 What companies previously saw and relied on as regulatory stability and collaboration has teetered. —

Ed Silverman, STAT, 6 May 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for teetered

Verb

The Broncos faltered in the snow, the Nuggets floundered on the hardwood, and now the Avalanche fail on ice.

— DP Opinion, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
That faith in his ability and focus had faltered at times over the course of this tempestuous and trying campaign, but it has been restored at the last.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 May 2026