as in tottering
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1
as in faltering
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
2
as in staggering
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 hesitating
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
was teetering on the brink of making a decision about college
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of teetering
Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
No postseason switch will be flipped if the team’s collective battery is teetering on empty.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2026
Related Stories Details were not immediately forthcoming, but the deal was expected to include a major cash infusion into the guild’s teetering health fund, which has bled $200 million over the last four years.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 Apr. 2026
While some offer minimal coverage (occasionally teetering on no coverage), this one gave her an even, flawless complexion.
—Kaelin Dodge, InStyle, 3 Apr. 2026
The old liberal institutions may be teetering, but that doesn’t mean that all that’s left is the law of the jungle.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
The 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest before the March international break left Spurs teetering precariously above the relegation zone.
—Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
After three years of failing to advance to the playoffs through the play-in tournament, Donovan is keenly aware of the precipice upon which the team is teetering.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Pulled straight out of Ireland and dropped onto 14th Street, Grace’s boasts dim candlelight, brotherly bartenders, and a leveled grit that leaves you teetering between kicking off a folk song or dragging from a cigarette from a stranger outside.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
The gazebo at Southold Town Beach is teetering over crumbling asphalt.
—Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
No postseason switch will be flipped if the team’s collective battery is teetering on empty.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2026
Related Stories Details were not immediately forthcoming, but the deal was expected to include a major cash infusion into the guild’s teetering health fund, which has bled $200 million over the last four years.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 Apr. 2026
While some offer minimal coverage (occasionally teetering on no coverage), this one gave her an even, flawless complexion.
—Kaelin Dodge, InStyle, 3 Apr. 2026
The old liberal institutions may be teetering, but that doesn’t mean that all that’s left is the law of the jungle.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
The 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest before the March international break left Spurs teetering precariously above the relegation zone.
—Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
After three years of failing to advance to the playoffs through the play-in tournament, Donovan is keenly aware of the precipice upon which the team is teetering.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Pulled straight out of Ireland and dropped onto 14th Street, Grace’s boasts dim candlelight, brotherly bartenders, and a leveled grit that leaves you teetering between kicking off a folk song or dragging from a cigarette from a stranger outside.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teetering
Adjective
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Neither of them understands the other’s dynamic with Daniel, and the split-episode format keeps our sympathies teeter-tottering between each woman.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The figures reinforce the extent to which consumer demand is faltering only two years after Tesla began delivering the electric pickup.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
After faltering in the crucial moments of its first postseason telecast, the stakes have now been raised for upcoming presentations.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As the Transit officers descended down to the 4/5/6 platform, one of Griffin’s victims came staggering up the stairs, seeking medial attention, Tisch said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
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This has led to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra staggering their minutes recently, as Herro and Powell only logged nine minutes together in Tuesday’s road loss to the Raptors.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump has criticized European countries for rejecting or hesitating to get involved in the war with Iran.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
17 Apr. 2026
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The Academy seems comfortable celebrating individual excellence within horror while hesitating to crown its films as definitive achievements.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For years, many of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority have embarked on rickety wooden boats to try to reach neighbouring countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, in a bid to flee persecution in Myanmar or overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2026
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Your sunnies should be comfortable and durable, not rickety!—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Another neighbor recalled an elevator lurching between floors.—
Elle McLogan,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile the Caliente Range — those mountains just to the west — are lurching the opposite way.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Moist didn’t always inhabit such a precarious position in our psyche.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Retailers are finding themselves in a precarious position.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Each increase in weight amplifies these demands, ensuring the robot operates beyond routine conditions while maintaining consistency without wobbling or resets.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
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This is a man who shows up at a bank with two dubious associates — the glowering, hair-trigger Sal (Moss-Bachrach) and, until his stomach gives out, the wobbling hot mess Ray-Ray (Christopher Sears) — and a bunch of guns.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Teetering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teetering. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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