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
Now, even that tiny effort is tottering.
—
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for totter
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for totter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totter
Verb
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Implementation of the program will be staggered, starting in elementary schools in 2030, for Texas’ more than 5 million students – about 10% of the national total.
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Since the notices will be staggered, however, some borrowers may have more time.
Verb
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And once performance falters, customers are likely to lose faith in your brand.
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Russell Henley also made a 4-under push on Sunday to finish 10-under, while Cam Young faltered in the final pairing with a 1-over round to finish 10-under as well.
Verb
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Once, somewhere in southern Virginia, Dad performed the customary lurch off the highway in the direction of a promising barbecue counter.
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The same boom-and-bust dependency on the oil industry, whose profits were now funnelled through the regime and its allies, kept the country lurching from one crisis to the next.
Verb
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Each time the leaves trembled, the sunlight filtering through them also wavered.
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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.
Verb
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Hernández said Rossi Ydrogo had just called his brother in Caracas 20 minutes before the earth started to shake.
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In Venezuela, rescue teams have been racing against the clock to pull survivors from the rubble after two powerful earthquakes shook the northern state of La Guaira last Wednesday.
Verb
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But things are starting to wobble.
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Suddenly, the tent jerked and wobbled.
Cite this Entry
“Totter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totter. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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