precariously
adverb
pre·car·i·ous·ly
pri-ˈker-ē-əs-lē 
: in a precarious manner
These birds suspend their nests precariously among fine twigs …—
Michael Hansell
Michael Hansell… the privilege of a tiny, precariously poised minority.—Derek Bickerton
Derek BickertonWaiters in white shirts and black vests roamed, trays balanced precariously but with utmost precision.—Noah Charney
Noah Charney… it's now balancing precariously on the brink of extinction and has become the first-ever bumblebee to be declared endangered in the US.—Laura Dennison
Laura DennisonExamples of precariously in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On Friday, April 19, Case, hunched into a sphere, balanced a steel ball bearing precariously on a toylike scoop.
—Rachel Lance, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Still, the legislation teetered precariously Friday morning as lawmakers voted on an amendment — vociferously opposed by Johnson, the White House and sponsors of the legislation — that would have prohibited the warrantless surveillance of Americans.
—Farnoush Amiri and Eric Tucker, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
The most potent sign of the quake is a 10-story red-brick tower in the city center, leaning precariously at a 45-degree angle after its ground floor collapsed.
—Wayne Chang, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
One of them, the rounded, red brick Uranus Building, which leaned precariously after its first floors collapsed, was mostly drawing curious onlookers.
—Siyi Zhao Lam Yik Fei, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The Southern Marin Fire District requested a helicopter at about 7:40 p.m. Sunday; the helicopter used thermal imaging to spot the man, who was dangling precariously above the rising ocean tide in the San Francisco Bay Area, the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.
—Noah Osborne, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024
Some of the roughly 4,000 containers on board were dislodged in the collision, authorities said, with a few already in the water, or dangling precariously off the edge of the ship.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024
The photographer, Daniel Benson, stood precariously on a stepladder, wobbling on the rocks amidst ocean spray.
—Martha Ward, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Mar. 2024
Netanyahu clings precariously to power with hostage deal in the balance
Naftali Yonah Gordon was born in Queens and worked each year at a Zionist summer camp in Pennsylvania.
—Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
Rachel Lance, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Still, the legislation teetered precariously Friday morning as lawmakers voted on an amendment — vociferously opposed by Johnson, the White House and sponsors of the legislation — that would have prohibited the warrantless surveillance of Americans.
—Farnoush Amiri and Eric Tucker, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
The most potent sign of the quake is a 10-story red-brick tower in the city center, leaning precariously at a 45-degree angle after its ground floor collapsed.
—Wayne Chang, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
One of them, the rounded, red brick Uranus Building, which leaned precariously after its first floors collapsed, was mostly drawing curious onlookers.
—Siyi Zhao Lam Yik Fei, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The Southern Marin Fire District requested a helicopter at about 7:40 p.m. Sunday; the helicopter used thermal imaging to spot the man, who was dangling precariously above the rising ocean tide in the San Francisco Bay Area, the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.
—Noah Osborne, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024
Some of the roughly 4,000 containers on board were dislodged in the collision, authorities said, with a few already in the water, or dangling precariously off the edge of the ship.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024
The photographer, Daniel Benson, stood precariously on a stepladder, wobbling on the rocks amidst ocean spray.
—Martha Ward, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Mar. 2024
Netanyahu clings precariously to power with hostage deal in the balance
Naftali Yonah Gordon was born in Queens and worked each year at a Zionist summer camp in Pennsylvania.
—Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'precariously.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near precariously
Cite this Entry
“Precariously.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precariously. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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