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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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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This creates bottlenecks, where employees hesitate to act without approval.—
Carlos Hoyos,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Inside Space Force: Here's What the New Agency Does To be sure, some countries may hesitate to align civilian space activities with a military alliance.—
Andrew Hanna,
Time,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Spurs also thrashed City 4-0 at the Etihad in the league back when Pep Guardiola’s defending champions were starting to wobble but were still second in the table.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
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Taiwan has accidentally undermined its security in its attempt to remain central to American policy and international energy dynamics and is wobbling on the tightrope.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 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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Val, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival, is a genuinely surprising and strange movie that vacillates between emotional extremes at an almost minute-by-minute pace.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2025
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Yes, but: The bird flu outbreak has vacillated in the last three years and could quickly spike again.—
Axios,
Axios,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Cursor no longer trembles when building pavement and moving the camera in the Hideout building mode.—
Oliver Brandt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
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The clip shows the small dog trembling in the passenger seat of Shae's car, looking very weary and wide-eyed.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
23 Mar. 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 20 Apr. 2025.
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