toddling

verb

present participle of toddle
as in stumbling

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for toddling
  1. stumbling
  2. tottering
  3. floundering
  4. lurching
  5. shaking
  6. rocking
  7. wavering
  8. faltering
Verb
  • Ginger’s still stumbling over the revelation when McMann and Lonnie arrive to abduct her at gunpoint.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
  • After stumbling into an intro to acting class, the 28-year-old quickly caught the professor’s attention.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of stumbling
Verb
  • In an accompanying cartoon, Spark is caricatured as a sulking giant, tottering above the Tuscan countryside in a pair of high heels.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
  • Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Definition of tottering
Verb
  • Boise State took advantage of a floundering Colorado State defense to amass 669 total yards, the eighth-most in program history.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Washington’s funding cuts to some HIV-prevention programs in Africa left efforts there floundering, sparking fears that the continent could see hundreds of thousands of additional deaths from AIDS.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of floundering
Verb
  • By the end of the lengthy, lurching first act, the entire eight-person cast is onstage.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026
  • After a handful of supremely mellow releases that blended lurching ’90s breakbeats with wintry, Mazzy Star-like songwriting, their third album dives into a vat of mercurial distortion and slippery, all-consuming bass.
    — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of lurching
Verb
  • As a freshman, Reavis’ Santiago Chavez was shaking before his first state cross country meet.
    — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Symptoms can include problems with balance, uncontrollable shaking of one’s hands and stiffness.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of shaking
Verb
  • At night, our tent offered a fragile haven from the elements, rocking back and forth like a ship in the violent winds that Werba had predicted.
    — John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The news sent markets rocking wildly, with investors worrying he could be forced to step down — a move that could trigger even more volatility.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of rocking
Verb
  • The arm locks into both positions via an internal catch so that there's no unwanted flexing or wavering in the middle of your work.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Major circuits’ presales for Clayface are wavering; some indicate an $18M opening, while others see it in the mid-$20Ms.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of wavering
Verb
  • That investigation has shown signs of faltering amid a spate of staff turnovers and delays.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • European regulators are putting fierce pressure on Tesla regarding potential road safety issues, while faltering US sales are bringing the economic viability of an international rollout into question.
    — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of faltering
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.

Browse Nearby Words

toddles
toddling
to death
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Cite this Entry

“Toddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toddling. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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