1
as in falters
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
2
as in staggers
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 hesitates
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
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Recent Examples of teeters
As the Russian economy teeters due to sanctions, high inflation and dwindling growth, the offer of high salaries to entice troops has given way to encouraging Russians to join by downplaying the risk of going to war, according to the analysis by OpenMinds.
—
Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The film deconstructs physical identity, familial bonds and the performative nature of gender and desire – all while its central location teeters on collapse.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
And that’s a shame, because reassurance is what their audiences crave most when the world around them teeters.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
This deepening also has an index in the formal features of his poetry—the ambiguity of his pronouns, the firm particularity of his register of images—which teeters between the mundane and the epiphanic, and renders this imbalance itself into view.
—Elaine L. Wang
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Skinbreaker is set on a primordial world where a tribal society teeters on the brink of collapse.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
As the economy teeters amid weak jobs growth and ongoing debates about government data reliability, all eyes are on the BLS and whether its monthly jobs report will remain a fixture in tracking the health of American employment.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
Another concerning possibility is that, when actions consistently prioritize special interests over the public good, incompetence can morph into something else— a line Lamont’s approach teeters on the brink of crossing.
—Frank Ricci, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2025
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday for the first time in several weeks as the Middle East teeters on the brink of an all-out conflict.
—Mike Brest, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Oct. 2024
Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The film deconstructs physical identity, familial bonds and the performative nature of gender and desire – all while its central location teeters on collapse.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
And that’s a shame, because reassurance is what their audiences crave most when the world around them teeters.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
This deepening also has an index in the formal features of his poetry—the ambiguity of his pronouns, the firm particularity of his register of images—which teeters between the mundane and the epiphanic, and renders this imbalance itself into view.
—Elaine L. Wang
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Skinbreaker is set on a primordial world where a tribal society teeters on the brink of collapse.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
As the economy teeters amid weak jobs growth and ongoing debates about government data reliability, all eyes are on the BLS and whether its monthly jobs report will remain a fixture in tracking the health of American employment.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
Another concerning possibility is that, when actions consistently prioritize special interests over the public good, incompetence can morph into something else— a line Lamont’s approach teeters on the brink of crossing.
—Frank Ricci, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2025
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday for the first time in several weeks as the Middle East teeters on the brink of an all-out conflict.
—Mike Brest, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teeters
Verb
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Writer-director Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship, which cast him as a lonely guy who befriends, alienates, then becomes fixated on a cool neighbor (Paul Rudd), has some great moments but falters midway through due to a predictable plot.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Thiago shines while Fernandes falters Brentford produced one of the standout results of the weekend with a convincing 3-1 victory over Manchester United.—
Abdul Rehman,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Hothead follows, and, when the lawyer staggers out to take a leak, Hothead shoves a gardening fork through his neck.—
Jo Livingstone,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
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Make the most of the shoulder seasons Almost all schools in England enjoy the long summer break at the same time (unlike in Scotland, which staggers its school vacation time for each region).—
Lottie Gross,
AFAR Media,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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If the alliance hesitates, Putin will see weakness and press harder.—
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The actress hesitates for only a second before divulging the story.—
Galina Espinoza,
Flow Space,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Our economy wobbles but returns to growth.—
John Hope Bryant,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
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Land awkwardly on the kerb and your rider wobbles convincingly.—
Griff Griffin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Despite that notable change, watching One Battle After Another is much like the experience of reading Pynchon, who lurches from high comedy to stomach-turning naturalism and punctuates plot-heavy sequences with little grace notes of character portraiture.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
24 Sep. 2025
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That film begins with charismatic bank robber Ryan Gosling in a thrilling motorcycle escape from the cops, and moves through several twists and turns, lurches forward in time, and holds Gosling at its heart as a man doing bad things for good reasons.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Pearl, Dale’s adult daughter, vacillates between disbelieving that her father committed suicide and blaming her mother for it.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
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The opening Allegro vacillates between punchy jabs and fluttery gaiety.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Continue reading … HONOR CODE BUST – Navy scandal rocks Democratic candidate as new poll shows gubernatorial race tied.—
,
FOXNews.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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When a Palestinian teenager gets swept up into a protest in the occupied West Bank and experiences a moment of violence that rocks his family, his mother recounts the political and emotional threads that led to that fateful moment.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Teeters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teeters. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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