totters

verb

present tense third-person singular of totter
1
as in staggers
to move forward while swaying from side to side tottered around the house as she practiced walking in high heels

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in falters
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 totters 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totters
  1. staggers
  2. falters
  3. lurches
  4. wobbles
  5. rocks
  6. shakes
Verb
  • Steely and deliberate songwriting that casually staggers down the line between rhythm and melody, laced with loose yet conscious jams.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2026
  • Like many Florida school districts, OCPS staggers start times to most efficiently use its school buses and drivers.
    — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of staggers
Verb
  • But Friedlich falters at making those exchanges spark with a sense of the real.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The third such report from the powerful Board of Supervisors last week is very similar to language in a Paramount statement of September 8 detailing harsh consequences if the merger falters.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of falters
Verb
  • With a cigarette dangling from her lips, ashes and curse words ever ready to fall, Angela lurches around the house critical of everything and everyone.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Push your right foot down, and the Grand Sport lurches forward like a bat out of hell and straight into two esses, which right away show you how nicely dialed-in the steering is.
    — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of lurches
Verb
  • Those impacts could also extend as far south as the New Jersey coast if the storm wobbles farther west.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The movie wobbles around the plot, initially beginning with the sisters in court after their neighbor (played by Orlando Bloom) requests a restraining order against them.
    — Zach Dennis, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of wobbles
Verb
  • And in the first of a series of cascading events that lead up to prom night, Chris records a traumatic incident involving Carrie’s first period in the school locker room to create an Instagram account that rocks the entire town.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Amanda Seyfried rocks this soft yet vibrant blend of pink and orange tones, creating a warm, sunlit effect.
    — Amanda Le, InStyle, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of rocks
Verb
  • Themed milk shakes, cocktails and popcorn — in a premium new collectible Gazebo popcorn bucket that celebrates the heart of Stars Hollow’s town square — will be available for fans to purchase.
    — Carole Horst, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Her body shakes uncontrollably and her neck folds forward, making eye contact impossible.
    — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of shakes

Browse Nearby Words

tottering
totters
tottery
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Totters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totters. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All