Synonyms of staggers

staggers

verb

present tense third-person singular of stagger

1

as in lurches

to move forward while swaying from side to side

I was so tired last night that I just staggered upstairs to bed without eating dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lurches
• totters
• weaves
• shuffles
• stomps
• stumbles
• waddles
• careens
• teeters
• rolls
• reels
• sways
• rocks
• dodders
• wavers
• wobbles
• flounders
• lumbers
• clomps
• shambles
• barges
• seesaws
• clumps
• pounds
• blunders
• stamps
• tromps
• swags
• tramps
• scuffs
• lumps
• scuffles
• galumphs

2

as in hesitates

to show uncertainty about the right course of action

a daunting problem that would make even the most decisive person stagger just a bit

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hesitates
• falters
• vacillates
• dithers
• halts
• waits
• wavers
• teeters
• balances
• lingers
• wobbles
• pauses
• debates
• scruples
• sways
• hangs back
• ponders
• dawdles
• procrastinates
• weighs
• deliberates
• delays
• haws
• shilly-shallies
• oscillates
• backs down
• considers
• dallies
• chickens (out)
• equivocates
• hems
• hedges
• waffles
• pussyfoots

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• decides
• plunges (in)
• continues
• dives (in)
• stirs
• advances
• budges

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of staggers

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

The first 10 minutes of the film are set in Norms, where a grungy man staggers in with a bomb, ranting about artificial intelligence. — Fielding Buck, Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026

Because of the program's size, the Social Security Administration (SSA) staggers payments across the month to keep the system running smoothly. — Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025

But Roman breaks free, staggers to his feet and appears to wipe his face, apparently from pepper spray. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025

The logistical feat those intrepid women accomplished staggers the mind of any contemporary author. — Adrian Miller, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2025

For his part, Gonzalez staggers outside and falls to his knees. — Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2025

One way to do that is through a bond ladder, which staggers individual bonds of different maturities. — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025