tottered

verb

past tense of totter
1
as in staggered
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 faltered
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 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
  1. staggered
  2. faltered
  3. lurched
  4. wobbled
  5. shook
  6. rocked
  7. shuddered
Verb
  • At the heart of the resort is an 82-foot jade-green pool with rooms and eating areas staggered across the snug plot.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • This year’s committee consists of 65 members who will serve staggered three-year terms.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of staggered
Verb
  • Washington’s diplomatic efforts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine have faltered, with Moscow looking to up its defense spending next year.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • From 2019 to 2022, Solomon led an aggressive expansion of the bank’s consumer-lending business, which ultimately faltered and resulted in billions of pretax losses.
    — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of faltered
Verb
  • The airplane lurched skyward, and Elwood was strapped in for the ride.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Markets have lurched up and down as oil prices shot higher because of the war with Iran.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of lurched
Verb
  • My admiration for Matthiessen has wobbled a bit but is still essentially grateful.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Newcastle’s summer wobbled when news emerged in late June that Guimaraes was fixed on Arsenal.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of wobbled
Verb
  • In other Asian Games events like hockey, players from both countries did embrace each other and shook hands with each other after India beat Pakistan in the semifinal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Bottle tops popped, can tabs cracked, and cocktail shakers shook all day Thursday at the Aftershock music festival at Sacramento’s Discovery Park.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of shook
Verb
  • The Gators rocked Ole Miss one week after the Rebels made a statement win against LSU.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Paris — Students fought running battles with police and several schools were ablaze Friday as a new day of violence gripped France with no end in sight to protests that have rocked the country.
    — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of rocked
Verb
  • Conservatives shuddered to think how close the country had come to permanent entangling alliances.
    — Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • McDonald’s shares fell nearly 5% Wednesday, their largest percentage drop since April 2025, as investors shuddered at the eye-popping price of improving McDonald’s 46,000 global stores.
    — Dee-Ann Durbin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of shuddered

Browse Nearby Words

totter
tottered
tottering
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Cite this Entry

“Tottered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tottered. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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