1
as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side
tottered around the house as she practiced walking in high heels
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to falter
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
the figurine tottered precariously for a moment before falling off the shelf
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of totter
Women often totter along a delicate line between beauty and torture, femininity and the bondage of expectation.
—
Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald, 7 Dec. 2025
But The Gilded Age doesn’t do pure villains with its main cast, and Oscar totters between failson and tragic figure, the closeted heir of the Van Rhijn family dragged to hell and back after being defrauded of his mother’s fortune.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
On the floor, waist-high piles of books tottered like miniature leaning towers of Pisa.
My father has always been an avid learner and reader.
—The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2025
As Joe Biden tottered and fell (literally as well as metaphorically), more than a few pundits compared him to Lear, a man who was ruined by age, pride, and the flattery of sycophants.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for totter
Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald, 7 Dec. 2025
But The Gilded Age doesn’t do pure villains with its main cast, and Oscar totters between failson and tragic figure, the closeted heir of the Van Rhijn family dragged to hell and back after being defrauded of his mother’s fortune.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
On the floor, waist-high piles of books tottered like miniature leaning towers of Pisa.
My father has always been an avid learner and reader.
—The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2025
As Joe Biden tottered and fell (literally as well as metaphorically), more than a few pundits compared him to Lear, a man who was ruined by age, pride, and the flattery of sycophants.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for totter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totter
Verb
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Plus, the Herro and Powell minutes likely will continue to be as staggered as when one started and one played in reserve, with Herro subbed out midway through Wednesday night’s first quarter.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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He looks staggered at first, then disgusted, and, finally, proud.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Washington led 111-106 with 6 1/2 minutes remaining, but the Wizards defense faltered after that.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Iran and the United States hardened their positions as a diplomatic push for a ceasefire in the Middle East war appeared to falter on Thursday.—
Jon Gambrell,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The leftward lurch could cost Republicans control of Congress for the president’s final two years in office.—
Steve Peoples,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
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Since then, the larger culture has lurched rightward, with big corporations abandoning progressive signaling in favor of…other priorities.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The kind of person who trembles at watermarks is not the sort of person who’s putting marble in the dishwasher.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
19 Mar. 2026
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One man described how, before fleeing home in Tehran, explosions made his 6½-year-old son tremble in fear.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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From Monday to Friday, the reception area will serve as a nutrition center for athletes, offering smoothies, protein shakes, granola and anything else an athlete could need.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Mar. 2026
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After an accidental explosion in a West Village bomb factory killed three Weathermen, those who survived, shaken by their friends’ deaths, swore off deadly violence.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The show continually wobbles between these two poles.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 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
“Totter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totter. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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