1
as in to lurch
to move forward while swaying from side to side
I was so tired last night that I just staggered upstairs to bed without eating dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to falter
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
a daunting problem that would make even the most decisive person stagger just a bit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stagger
Volunteer Devon Douglas emerged from a pit of rubble that had once been the living room, staggering under the weight of a concrete slab more than a foot wide.
—
Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2025
Prosecutors showed several minutes of video footage showing Baird staggering into the Circle K, bleeding heavily, collapsing to the floor, briefly regaining his footing and then collapsing again.
—Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
Payments are staggered based on recipients’ birthdays, with those born in the first 10 days of a month receiving their checks on the second Wednesday, and so on.
—Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
And 20 of the 40 seats in the California State Senate (which has four-year terms) will also be contested, as Senate seats are staggered with half up for election every two years.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stagger
Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2025
Prosecutors showed several minutes of video footage showing Baird staggering into the Circle K, bleeding heavily, collapsing to the floor, briefly regaining his footing and then collapsing again.
—Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
Payments are staggered based on recipients’ birthdays, with those born in the first 10 days of a month receiving their checks on the second Wednesday, and so on.
—Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
And 20 of the 40 seats in the California State Senate (which has four-year terms) will also be contested, as Senate seats are staggered with half up for election every two years.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stagger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stagger
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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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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Over that lengthy span, the set has rarely faltered.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 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
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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The trail weaves through the coastal waters of Lee County from the Pine Island Sound to Estero Bay, up the Caloosahatchee River and through its tributaries.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2025
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Produced by Tomás Cortés of Cine Animal and supported by Panama’s Ministry of Culture, the film weaves animation, archival footage and interviews to trace Guardia’s personal journey, fueled by his childhood memories of provocative Panamanian artist Julio Zachrisson’s odd yet captivating artworks.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Woman Makes 'Creepy' Find In Thrift Store By Alice Gibbs Senior Life and Trends Reporter Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member news article 0 A thrift store shopper from Scotland stumbled on something unexpected in her local store when a beautiful glass paperweight caught her eye.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
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Contractors renovating a historic home in Belgium stumbled upon the entrance to a secret tunnel identified by archaeologists as an escape route from World War I.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The most effective technique for me was accompanying my breath with visualization, such as picturing waves rolling onto shore.—
Michelle Stansbury,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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To add to the pain, the U.S. Federal Reserve, which is a major owner of MBS, is currently letting the MBS roll off of its own portfolio, as part of an effort to shrink its balance sheet.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Pretty much everything else is shuffled off to the infotainment system, a single circular touchscreen that lives in the middle of the dash.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
10 Apr. 2025
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While events were shuffled around to fit a new schedule, the royals will also be about to pace themselves following the monarch's recent health setback.—
Stephanie Petit,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stagger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stagger. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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