as in shaking
marked by or given to small uncontrollable bodily movements
after the accident, she was only able to take a few tottering steps at a time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in staggering
to move forward while swaying from side to side
tottered around the house as she practiced walking in high heels
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in faltering
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
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.
Recent Examples of tottering
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Neither of them understands the other’s dynamic with Daniel, and the split-episode format keeps our sympathies teeter-tottering between each woman.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Models are tottering on the cobblestoned Bond Street with their heels getting stuck in the rivets.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tottering
Verb
-
Add additional rows of blocks, staggering them over the previous layer and using construction adhesive between rows.—
Daniel Modlin,
Architectural Digest,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Dash camera video posted by the Huber Heights Police Department on its Facebook page shows the worker rolling the bin toward a garbage truck, lifting the lid and quickly staggering back before pointing toward the container as officers pull up.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Milan’s faltering title hopes in Serie A won’t be helped by a horrible injury to Ruben Loftus-Cheek.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Even if things don’t go exactly as planned, you’re braced to make any necessary adjustments without faltering.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The two sides have been lurching toward this end for a while now.—
Josh Kendall,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Brant, who was elected in a special election in August, inherited an office already in disarray, in a county that has spent the past year lurching from one government crisis to the next.—
Nick El Hajj,
Des Moines Register,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That week’s host, Emily Blunt, did the trembly voice-over.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2020
Verb
-
At the same time, the private credit world is said to be teetering because it is based on syndicated and damaged private equity loans.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
1 Mar. 2026
-
That’s clearly the balance Chinese Republicans wants to strike as a whole, but even as Iris stands surefooted, the play itself is still teetering.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One of the frontrunners is wobbling.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
They are carefully balanced so that the rotor spins smoothly without wobbling.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
We were passed by four out-of-control Harley bikers going 80-90 mph, weaving in and out of steadily moving traffic, while illegally passing cars on the right shoulder for miles.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Combining his team and their content with Paramount+ is not the same as weaving Showtime into Paramount+ or moving FX over to Hulu.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Like all melodramatists, Hong deals in coincidence and magnifies casual connections and minor accidents into life-shaking events.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Other causes included multiple injuries, gunshot wounds, suffocation, burns and shaking.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tottering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tottering. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
