Synonyms of tottered

tottered

verb

past tense of totter

1

as in staggered

to move forward while swaying from side to side

tottered around the house as she practiced walking in high heels

Synonyms & Similar Words

• staggered
• lurched
• weaved
• waddled
• teetered
• shuffled
• stumbled
• stomped
• rolled
• reeled
• careened
• rocked
• doddered
• swayed
• wobbled
• wavered
• shambled
• blundered
• floundered
• tramped
• barged
• stamped
• seesawed
• clomped
• lumbered
• scuffled
• clumped
• pounded
• scuffed
• swagged
• lumped
• galumphed
• tromped

2

as in faltered

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

• faltered
• wobbled
• trembled
• shook
• rocked
• shuddered
• lurched
• wavered
• teetered
• quivered
• vibrated
• stumbled
• floundered
• toddled
• staggered
• quaked
• quavered
• reeled
• careened
• weaved

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tottered

Like a lot of us who tottered into consciousness in the second half of the 20th century, Les Claypool grew up with cartoons from the family television beaming into his retinas. — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026

Outside, a gull tottered to the window and tapped its beak against the glass. — Literary Hub, 13 July 2026

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