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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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.
—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.
—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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The lone survivor of the half-hour killing spree, critically injured 49-year-old David Hernandez, staggered to a nearby street where police officers were trying to revive another Santos victim.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
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Three commissioners serve staggered six-year terms.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Every neighborhood has its own part in the story too, as the nightlife nexus has migrated up and down Manhattan, shimmied across the East River and back, and transformed, faltered, and thrived again over the past six decades.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
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But, as talks have publicly faltered in the past week, both sides have launched fresh strikes.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
Verb
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The energy crisis has only amplified that business case as fuel prices lurch.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
29 May 2026
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Instead of thoughtful, adaptive action, characters lurch between hesitation and reckless decisions, with catastrophic results.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2026
Verb
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Yet despite a certain air of inevitability, the Democratic Party’s movers and shakers are trembling at the prospect of another Harris run.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
21 May 2026
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Logic, curated by decades of precedent, suggested the 22-year-old might tremble at the growl of the aggressive, experienced Wolves.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Hulst kept hammering lap after lap through the second mile but still could not shake Serna.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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Then stir or shake the solution until the sugar is completely dissolved.—
Rita Pelczar,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Amanda is talking about her friendships with Ciara and West in confessional when the background suddenly starts to wobble, the lights flicker, and her outfit changes.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
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Art schools, like all schools, are wobbling under the illogic of the cost-benefit math.—
Katy Siegel,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totter. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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