teetering 1 of 2

adjective

as in tottering

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teetering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of teeter
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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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 teetering
Verb
There have been times when that prediction was teetering but England has risen to the occasion. — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 11 July 2026 Where to stay A fairytale castle dating from the 14th century, the Château de la Treyne hotel near Lacave appears to be teetering in an impossibly precarious spot atop a rugged cliff on the banks of the Dordogne. — James Rampton, TheWeek, 9 July 2026 Les Lions had underperformed in the group stage, teetering on the verge of elimination. — Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 6 July 2026 Among the biggest beneficiaries have been puffins, whose population has grown from just 13 birds in 2000 to 1,335 in 2026 after teetering on the brink of local extinction. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 The film won an Oscar, helped earn Gore a Nobel Prize, and convinced young Americans that civilization was teetering on the brink. — Bjorn Lomborg, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2026 With these teetering burgers, there’s little need for sides. — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 18 June 2026 The first half of the film is essentially a political thriller—shades of 1974’s The Parallax View and similar films—as global tensions have the world teetering on the brink of World War III. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 13 June 2026 The final putt — two feet, 10 inches — was appropriately dramatic, teetering along the left edge before curling back into the cup. — Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teetering
  1. tottering
  2. faltering
  3. staggering
  4. hesitating
  5. rickety
  6. wobbling
  7. lurching
  8. precarious
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of tottering
Verb
  • Chris Jung | Nurphoto | Getty Images Shares of Nvidia have been faltering recently — and Kalshi traders predict that what the company can charge for chips is also declining.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 22 June 2026
  • After faltering in last year’s Div.
    — Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
Definition of faltering
Verb
  • The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hands and small heads.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
  • The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hand and small heads.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 May 2026
Definition of staggering
Verb
  • The book does often feel like a recording of a mental jam session, but there is also a sense of being guided by a kind of hesitating yet urgent voice that needs to get things figured out.
    — Craig Morgan Teicher, Literary Hub, 1 June 2026
  • While their rivals started spending significant sums of money as soon as the 2024-25 season finished, Spurs wasted a couple of weeks hesitating about the long-term future of then head coach Ange Postecoglou before replacing him with Thomas Frank.
    — David Ornstein, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Definition of hesitating
Adjective
  • 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
  • Your sunnies should be comfortable and durable, not rickety!
    — Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of rickety
Verb
  • The longer uncertainty lingers, the more risk there is for stocks at a moment when the market leaders, chipmakers, are wobbling.
    — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 9 July 2026
  • The plate currently featured front and center, SpaceX, has been wobbling after an underwhelming IPO.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 2 July 2026
Definition of wobbling
Verb
  • The same boom-and-bust dependency on the oil industry, whose profits were now funnelled through the regime and its allies, kept the country lurching from one crisis to the next.
    — Armando Ledezma, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
  • The old guard of the Democratic Party suffered another body blow when three socialist congressional candidates in New York with anti-Israel platforms swept to victory, lurching the party even further to the left.
    — Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 25 June 2026
Definition of lurching
Adjective
  • However, campaign experts say its position remains precarious, due in part to the deep pockets of its opponents.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Medical and health care professionals working under precarious circumstances are caring for the tens of thousands of people who have been injured and are hospitalized.
    — Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 6 July 2026
Definition of precarious

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Cite this Entry

“Teetering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teetering. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of teetering for Spanish Speakers

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