totter
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to walk or go with faltering, unsteady steps.
She tottered down the street in high heels, desperately fighting to stay vertical.
-
to sway or rock on the base or ground, as if about to fall.
The tower seemed to totter in the wind.
- Synonyms:
- waver
-
to shake or tremble.
a load that tottered.
-
to lack security or stability; threaten to collapse.
The government was tottering.
noun
verb
-
to walk or move in an unsteady manner, as from old age
-
to sway or shake as if about to fall
-
to be failing, unstable, or precarious
noun
Related Words
See stagger.
Other Word Forms
- totterer noun
- tottering adjective
- totteringly adverb
- tottery adjective
Etymology
Origin of totter
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English toteren “to swing”; origin uncertain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is also another blow to the tottering system of international law.
From BBC
Dotting the shoreline is a bleak expanse of detritus: timeworn pumps, tottering derricks, wayward cranes and aging pipelines.
From Los Angeles Times
He tottered back the way they had come.
From Literature
He sees the milk carton tottering, and tries to reach it, but his fingers graze the side.
From Literature
She tottered just a bit, momentarily losing her balance, but she refused my help.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
