Thesaurus results for TOTTERED

tottered

verb

past tense of totter

as in staggered

to move forward while swaying from side to side tottered around the house as she practiced walking in high heels

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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

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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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tottered

Verb

Biden called for reforms, too, in his final year, recommending that the Court’s Justices be limited to eighteen-year terms, staggered so that Presidents could appoint one every two years.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Shore excursions leave on time, dining reservations are staggered throughout the evening, and all-aboard times aren’t suggestions.

— Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of staggered

Verb

In the rest of the state, Graham prevailed — including in the Charleston area, where former governor and congressman Mark Sanford endorsed Norman after his own Senate campaign faltered.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026
But their turnout in Broward, the state’s last big remaining Democratic stronghold, faltered.

— Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of faltered

Verb

The ball wobbled, but Fields got underneath it for about a 40-yard catch.

— Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026
The structure beneath Klopp wobbled, and Liverpool bounced between sporting directors — one of whom, Jorg Schmadtke, Klopp was allowed to source himself.

— James Pearce, New York Times, 15 July 2026

Definition of wobbled

Verb

The offence that shook baseball in October appeared again, leading the Jays to their second-largest margin of victory this year in an 11-0 win against the Cleveland Guardians.

— Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Several heavy explosions shook Kuhestak, with fireballs that lighted up the night sky, according to security camera recordings carried by the semiofficial news agency Fars.

— David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of shook

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“Tottered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tottered. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of tottered

verb

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