1
as in to falter
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
he nervously teetered at the edge of the pool before finally diving in
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side
the toddler teetered down the rink in her new ice skates
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to hesitate
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
was teetering on the brink of making a decision about college
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 teeter
The Broncos teetered on the edge of the field after losing the conference championship to Colorado State on Saturday.
—
Tess Demeyer, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
Many are still locks to make the NCAA field Sunday, but others are teetering on the bubble and a couple may need to win their league tournaments just to qualify.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
And while this production is an incredible blast, teetering on farce, Ostermeier and co-adaptor Duncan Macmillan (People, Places & Things) actually ramp up the duality.
—Demetrios Matheou, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
The threat of a shutdown has loomed as the American economy is teetering toward a recession and as Trump administration has made significant cuts to the federal workforce and frozen spending without Congress' approval.
—Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Tess Demeyer, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
Many are still locks to make the NCAA field Sunday, but others are teetering on the bubble and a couple may need to win their league tournaments just to qualify.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
And while this production is an incredible blast, teetering on farce, Ostermeier and co-adaptor Duncan Macmillan (People, Places & Things) actually ramp up the duality.
—Demetrios Matheou, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
The threat of a shutdown has loomed as the American economy is teetering toward a recession and as Trump administration has made significant cuts to the federal workforce and frozen spending without Congress' approval.
—Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for teeter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teeter
Verb
-
The New York Yankees are reeling from injuries but still figure to be a tough opponent, and the Baltimore Orioles, coming off a strong regular season last year, still have something to prove after faltering in the playoffs.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Falling sales indicate that the company's financial health is fundamentally faltering as competitors are surging, particularly rival BYD.—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
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
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
-
Keep copies of everything, and don’t hesitate to escalate issues.—
Shahar Ziv,
Forbes,
20 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
-
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
-
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
-
Trump vacillated about federal funding for the Kennedy Center during his first administration, variously defending and criticizing federal funding for it.—
Brady Knox,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
8 Feb. 2025
-
Trump tapped Musk to lead DOGE, but the administration’s description of Musk’s role has also vacillated between heading DOGE and working as a senior adviser with no DOGE authority, depending on the context of the situation.—
Ashley Oliver,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
8 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
-
The result would be that incumbents would lag, populists would surge, and democratic institutions would totter.—
Moisés Naím,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Teeter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teeter. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share