Synonym Chooser

How does the verb falter differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of falter are hesitate, vacillate, and waver. While all these words mean "to show irresolution or uncertainty," falter implies a wavering or stumbling and often connotes nervousness, lack of courage, or outright fear.

never once faltered during her testimony

When would hesitate be a good substitute for falter?

The words hesitate and falter can be used in similar contexts, but hesitate implies a pause before deciding or acting or choosing.

hesitated before answering the question

When is vacillate a more appropriate choice than falter?

The synonyms vacillate and falter are sometimes interchangeable, but vacillate implies prolonged hesitation from inability to reach a firm decision.

vacillated until events were out of control

In what contexts can waver take the place of falter?

In some situations, the words waver and falter are roughly equivalent. However, waver implies hesitation after seeming to decide and so connotes weakness or a retreat.

wavered in his support of the rebels

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of falter Russia’s military efforts on behalf of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad failed, and its incursion into Ukraine was faltering. Monica Duffy Toft, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2025 Ye has faltered in being able to identify a scam, though. Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 11 Mar. 2025 Tesla sales have been faltering worldwide as consumers push back against the company’s CEO Elon Musk and his political involvement with the Trump Administration. Simmone Shah, TIME, 11 Mar. 2025 While effective for clear, straightforward documents, these pattern-matching systems, a form of AI themselves, often falter when faced with unusual fonts, multiple columns, tables, or poor-quality scans. Ars Technica, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for falter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falter
Verb
  • The United States must not hesitate in ensuring that a democracy, Ukraine, does not succumb to an antidemocratic, autocratic, dictatorial and villainous Russia.
    Askold Haywas, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
  • But when the airstrikes began this week, Ms. Abu Akar didn’t hesitate.
    Ghada Abdulfattah, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • As gold flirts with all-time highs again, headlines are quick to shout what many family offices already know: when the world trembles, gold glitters.
    Francois Botha, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • An anxiety disorder may come with symptoms such as excessive worry, restlessness, irritability, or in some cases sweating, trembling, chest pain, and nausea.
    Alex Yampolsky, Verywell Health, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty Images Stocks are wobbling.
    Kevin Williams, CNBC, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Stocks wobbled early, rebounded and then lost momentum in the afternoon.
    Alain Sherter, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • For some in the room, Paul’s rebellion reflected their deep unease over Trump’s protectionism, which has rattled stock markets, shaken consumer confidence, and strained America’s relationships with its allies.
    Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 18 Mar. 2025
  • This structure has been shaken in less than three months of President Trump’s second administration.
    Llewellyn King, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • While company leaders waver, employees have already gone all-in on AI.
    Cynthia Pong, JD, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
  • As a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance, Portugal is in need of strong leadership to help handle the diplomatic crisis unleashed by the United States, which is wavering after decades of solid support for Europe.
    Helena Alves and Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Medical history’s many Jewish vaccine pioneers would shudder.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Elon Musk’s chainsaw wielding antics at CPAC may have riled up the bureaucracy-hating audience, but flashbacks to 1990s era Chainsaw Al Dunlap’s track record should make markets shudder.
    Matt Schifrin, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Falter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falter. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on falter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!