totter

1 of 2

verb

tot·​ter ˈtä-tər 

tottered; tottering; totters

intransitive verb

1

: to move unsteadily : stagger, wobble

2

a

: to tremble or rock as if about to fall : sway

b

: to become unstable : threaten to collapse

totter

2 of 2

noun

: an unsteady gait : wobble

Synonyms

Verb

• careen
• dodder
• lurch
• reel
• stagger
• teeter
• waddle

Examples of totter in a Sentence

Verb

The child tottered across the room.

He tottered away to bed.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Then there's the small, sweet moments—video of my goddaughter tottering in her first pair of shoes; my cat caught mid-yawn; a selfie of me and my dad on a date to the symphony. —Malia Griggs, Glamour, 18 Dec. 2024

Iraqi state institutions such as these were already tottering, and these actions threaten to erode them further. —Michael Knights, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2023

Noun

His son struggles to keep the Vegas’ gym, in Los Angeles, afloat amid the pandemic; his grandson, who is gay, totters between academic ambition and self-exploitation. —The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024

But the purchase also is a reminder that the Bay Area office market totters at the edge of an economic abyss of plunging values, faltering rents, rising foreclosures, sky-high interest rates, and tough financing markets. —George Avalos, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English toteren

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Noun

1709, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing totter

• teeter-totter

Kids Definition

totter

verb

tot·​ter

ˈtät-ər

1

: to sway or rock as if about to fall

2

: to move unsteadily : stagger

tottery

-ə-rē

adjective