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
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tottering
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of teetering
Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Sweet Martha’s cookies are baked to order, then served warm in precariously tall stacks, teetering out of a paper cup, or, better yet, the stand’s signature plastic bucket, which gets loaded with about four dozen cookies despite fitting only three dozen.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
The three-month average of the prime-age employment-to-population ratio has been teetering around the current level, but the labor market has remained resilient.
—Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Despite the dramatic implications of the film’s title, Erupcja has a casual, slice-of-life vibe to it that prevents Bethany and Rob’s woes from teetering into melodrama.
—Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
In a series that is admirably earnest, Last Rites easily takes the cake as the most wholesome chapter of the bunch, its insistence on God and faith teetering on religious propaganda.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
In addition to political persecution, returning Venezuelans would reenter a country teetering on collapse—maligned by hyperinflation, soaring unemployment, rampant crime, frequent power outages, water shortages and chronic scarcities of food and medicine.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
The policy helped cut Louisiana's uninsured rate in half and shored up rural hospitals that had been teetering on closure.
—Drew Hawkins, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025
The economy was teetering on the edge when the crisis became full-blown in October 1907.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Completely outplayed by the Brewers thus far in a National League Division Series, the Cubs are teetering on the brink of elimination after Monday night’s 7-3 loss at American Family Field.
—Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Sweet Martha’s cookies are baked to order, then served warm in precariously tall stacks, teetering out of a paper cup, or, better yet, the stand’s signature plastic bucket, which gets loaded with about four dozen cookies despite fitting only three dozen.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
The three-month average of the prime-age employment-to-population ratio has been teetering around the current level, but the labor market has remained resilient.
—Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Despite the dramatic implications of the film’s title, Erupcja has a casual, slice-of-life vibe to it that prevents Bethany and Rob’s woes from teetering into melodrama.
—Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
In a series that is admirably earnest, Last Rites easily takes the cake as the most wholesome chapter of the bunch, its insistence on God and faith teetering on religious propaganda.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
In addition to political persecution, returning Venezuelans would reenter a country teetering on collapse—maligned by hyperinflation, soaring unemployment, rampant crime, frequent power outages, water shortages and chronic scarcities of food and medicine.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
The policy helped cut Louisiana's uninsured rate in half and shored up rural hospitals that had been teetering on closure.
—Drew Hawkins, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025
The economy was teetering on the edge when the crisis became full-blown in October 1907.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teetering
Verb
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History will probably remember this Ravens team for faltering because of injuries, namely to their starting quarterback.—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
The Street is critical of Cornell for not initiating enough changes and corrections to improve Target’s business, which has been faltering for several seasons.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Then the Dodgers stopped by in October for an NLDS heavyweight title bout — and the Phillies are already staggering through a standing 8-count.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The young men in Bruins blue and gold staggering off the field afterwards dazed, confused.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Because life—even for us jaded adults—should be for the seizing, not for hesitating in the face of fear.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Meyers acted his dang butt off in this sketch, and the audience paid him back with unsure and hesitating titters — not crickets, but not enthusiasm either.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
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
Verb
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An internal compression pad and multiple pockets help maximize packing space in this lightweight spinner, which is crafted from water-repellent nylon and boasts a proprietary stabilizer to prevent wobbling.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Think polarization, geopolitical instability, a lot of things that just have people wobbling right now.—
Fortune Editors,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The administration’s lurching one way and another with tariffs is another example.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
-
The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Everything looks so rickety — this stadium wasn’t built for pandemonium like this.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
15 Aug. 2025
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Griff's was a cozy space inside with a small, rickety wooden patio in the front and a larger one in the back.—
Brianna Griff,
Chron,
13 Jan. 2023
Verb
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While critical local and Indigenous knowledge is recognized in the report, it is largely excluded from assessments, both because weaving it with conventional scientific analysis is difficult or because communities may choose to protect certain knowledge.—
Jessica Beaudette,
The Conversation,
11 Oct. 2025
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This invisible, climate-polluting gas can escape into the water through fissures in the sea floor, often revealing itself with a stream of bubbles weaving their way up to the ocean surface.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Teetering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teetering. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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