wavers 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of waver
1
as in hesitates
to show uncertainty about the right course of action he's still wavering about whether to take the job

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in falters
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side the steel tower wavered for a moment before falling over

Synonyms & Similar Words

wavers

2 of 2

noun

plural of waver
as in rocks

Related 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 wavers
Verb
The Monitor's View As Americans’ trust in elections wavers, local officials and volunteers are strengthening safeguards – and making sure more voters know about it. — The Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026 If the laser beam wavers even slightly, defects ruin the crystalline structure. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026 There, Mary presses the child’s face deep into her own with a pressure that wavers between grief and affection. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026 Gargash said Gulf Arab states cannot continue to be targeted as Iran wavers between escalation and restraint. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 8 July 2026 Their courage quickly wavers in the face of the location’s eerie atmosphere and the deafening sound of cicadas. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026 Confidence wavers when the sun confronts Neptune. — Usa Today, USA Today, 25 June 2026 When attention wavers, Air-Guardian steps in. — Tanya Eves, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 Starmer’s ban also comes in as his Labour government wavers, with a number set to challenge him for the leadership. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 15 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wavers
  1. hesitates
  2. falters
  3. rocks
  4. wobbles
  5. swings
  6. oscillations
  7. waves
  8. whips
Verb
  • Smear certainly finds Ides of March star Clooney, who never hesitates to put his politics and star power to work, and the rest of the cast stepping into some deep, murky and often digital waters.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Deanna hesitates, still wounded by the estrangement, but opens the house again.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of hesitates
Verb
  • However, turning advanced materials from lab success into commercial products often falters at the production stage, where slow manufacturing and harsh chemical inputs make mass production prohibitively expensive and unsafe.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The Clemson junior from Rienzi, Mississippi is chasing a football career, but if that falters might chose to follow his parents into the military.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of falters
Noun
  • Officials warned of possible strong aftershocks accompanied by mudslides and falling rocks in the coming days.
    — Yuri Kageyama, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026
  • These isotopes act as geochemical fingerprints, allowing researchers to distinguish material originating from Mars from rocks belonging to Earth or other planetary bodies.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of rocks
Verb
  • Bake pie until edges of filling are set and slightly puffed but center still wobbles a little when gently shaken, 40–50 minutes (filling will continue to set after baking).
    — Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Nov. 2026
  • If the fan wobbles noticeably at the ceiling or the mounting assembly moves, turn it off and have an electrician or qualified ceiling fan technician inspect it.
    — Tricia Goss, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of wobbles
Noun
  • Walker hit his seventh homer with two swings remaining and his eighth on the next swing to earn bonus swings.
    — Dan Gelston, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
  • The swings have a black metal frame, black metal swing arms, a fabric canopy and a padded brown seat cushion, the report states.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 18 May 2026
Definition of swings
Noun
  • That haziness gets more distorted on the title track, which hits its apex with siren-like oscillations.
    — Cassidy Sollazzo, Pitchfork, 14 Oct. 2026
  • However, the experiments demonstrated coordinated oscillations, not a robot capable of performing multiple practical tasks.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of oscillations
Noun
  • For three decades, Democratic Assemblyman Bill Colton weathered red waves, tsunamis, and everything in between by building an organization focused on constituent service, solving neighborhood problems, and bringing residents into civic life.
    — Joey Saban, New York Daily News, 6 Nov. 2026
  • There’s a crack in one of the home’s two foundations, and interior damage from waves breaking into the lower levels.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of waves
Noun
  • The young trees, often called whips, have high stem densities.
    — Tom Huggler, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Her earliest memories are of an underground bunker, patrolled by male guards with whips, where she was imprisoned with thirty-nine older women.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of whips

Browse Nearby Words

wavering
wavers
wavery
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wavers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wavers. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wabi-sabi

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All