teeter

1 of 2

verb

tee·​ter ˈtē-tər How to pronounce teeter (audio)
teetered; teetering; teeters

intransitive verb

1
a
: to move unsteadily : wobble
b
: waver, vacillate
teetered on the brink of bankruptcy
2
: seesaw

teeter

2 of 2

noun

Examples of teeter in a Sentence

Verb The pile of books teetered and fell to the floor. She teetered down the street in her high heels.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The teetering verticality of a crab mille-feuille barely survived being set down on the table, let alone being carved into with a fork and knife. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2024 The tiny Caribbean nation of Haiti is teetering on the brink of collapse. Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 The measure teetered with only 50% support in a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by The Times that was conducted in late February. Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Today, in both autocracies and teetering democracies, scholars, writers, activists, and artists continue to push back against the narratives of the state. Suzanne Nossel, Foreign Affairs, 29 Feb. 2024 The Palestinian Authority, teetering on collapse, is tested in Jenin The announcement comes as talks resume in Doha, Qatar, to try to reach a deal on the release of more than 100 remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a cease-fire. Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2024 Though this section teeters off-topic, focusing on the rise of mega-churches and Bishop T.D. Jakes, when the hour does stay on task, it’s made plain that the only constant in gospel is change. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Feb. 2024 The Milwaukee Brewers have had 2024 circled for quite a while now as a teetering point in the longest consecutive contention cycle the franchise has ever seen. Journal Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2024 Yet there’s still a sense that L.A. is teetering on the edge. Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023
Noun
Although the film strays drastically from Stephen King's novel, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is a complex film that teeters between the psychological and supernatural horror subgenres. EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023 His endearing relationship with his grandson, Morty, constantly teeters between unhinged dependency and existential rage. Huntley Woods, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2023 Much like skirt hemlines, which supposedly get shorter in boom times and lengthen when the economy teeters, office holiday parties have never been immune to the flux of the broader corporate world. Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2023 The protests are a reaction to a package of $6.7 billion of spending cuts and tax hikes pushed through by Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s government, which aims to halve the budget deficit in two years even as the $300 billion economy teeters on the verge of a recession. Peter Laca, Fortune Europe, 27 Nov. 2023 All the while, a humanitarian crisis teeters from bad to worse. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023 Their dialogue teeters between affection and callousness, often in rapid succession, reflecting the characters’ chronic uncertainty and fear of intimacy. Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2023 Silicon Valley Bank Fails As banking sector teeters, could S.F.’s First Republic collapse next? Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Mar. 2023 But House Republican opposition to new aid looks increasingly likely to imperil the money, as the capital teeters on the edge of a possible government shutdown. John Hudson, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'teeter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English titeren to totter, reel; akin to Old High German zittarōn to shiver

First Known Use

Verb

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of teeter was in 1844

Dictionary Entries Near teeter

Cite this Entry

“Teeter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/teeter. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

teeter

verb
tee·​ter
ˈtēt-ər
1
a
: to move unsteadily
teetered on the edge and fell over the side
2
teeter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on teeter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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