1
as in to falter
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
he nervously teetered at the edge of the pool before finally diving in
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side
the toddler teetered down the rink in her new ice skates
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to hesitate
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
was teetering on the brink of making a decision about college
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of teeter
Local and state budgets are tight, teetering on, or dropping into, deficit territory.
—
Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
The Nuggets continue to have Jekyll and Hyde results, as their last four games have teetered back and forth from impressive to ugly.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Haitian capital Port-au-Prince is teetering on the verge of lawlessness as gangs are take over many of the institutions in the city, but as recently as last week a flight of Haitian deportees arrived back in the country.
—Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 19 Mar. 2025
The Broncos teetered on the edge of the field after losing the conference championship to Colorado State on Saturday.
—Tess Demeyer, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
The Nuggets continue to have Jekyll and Hyde results, as their last four games have teetered back and forth from impressive to ugly.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Haitian capital Port-au-Prince is teetering on the verge of lawlessness as gangs are take over many of the institutions in the city, but as recently as last week a flight of Haitian deportees arrived back in the country.
—Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 19 Mar. 2025
The Broncos teetered on the edge of the field after losing the conference championship to Colorado State on Saturday.
—Tess Demeyer, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teeter
Verb
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If the book falters, the production numbers – some based on famous Marilyn images and tropes, like the Seven Year Itch‘s subway grate scene, and the Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend bit – are suitably flashy.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
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Even before the tariffs, Tesla’s business was faltering.—
Lora Kolodny,Ari Levy,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The law staggers the commissioners’ five-year terms so the president may appoint a new member annually.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
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In March, 1945, as the war staggered to a close, some two hundred Hungarian Jewish forced laborers were executed near Rechnitz.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Yet, the didn't appear to be the case for Colton, who hesitated to answer before last week's episode concluded.—
Dory Jackson,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Touching on directing and managing the top teams at Nudie Jeans, Levin doesn’t hesitate.—
Angela Lei,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Without Lillard, any remaining championship hopes—already wobbling like a Jenga tower missing its foundation—have officially crumbled.—
Brian Sampson,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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The scene that draws the biggest laughs from the audience features a bit of old school slapstick comedy as Cher attempts to make a clumsy romantic pass at her classmate Christian in her bedroom, falling off the bed and wobbling across the stage in heels that are far too high.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But the ruling did little to herald any political stability in the country, which has lurched from crisis to crisis.—
Choe Sang-Hun,
New York Times,
24 Mar. 2025
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For the last six weeks, Americans have been yanked and ghosted, lurched and launched with a merciless urgency.—
Philip Elliott,
TIME,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Veneno, ever the anti-hero and unreliable narrator, vacillates between her self-serving and diabolical impulses throughout the arc of her character.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them.,
28 Mar. 2025
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Trump vacillated about federal funding for the Kennedy Center during his first administration, variously defending and criticizing federal funding for it.—
Brady Knox,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Needless to say, those of us who remember 1987 are trembling, and were expecting a frightful jobs report.—
Eli Amdur,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Historians would be called in to provide context, and every social-media app would be trembling with outrage.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
The New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The result would be that incumbents would lag, populists would surge, and democratic institutions would totter.—
Moisés Naím,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2025
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The country’s economy is tottering and reliant on IMF bailouts, while the powerful military is entrenched in every aspect of life, according to its critics.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Teeter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teeter. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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