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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of stagger
Its swirling cacophony of rectangles — red, blue, lime — are staggered so as to leap off the page, exuding the freedom at the core of the Technicolor music.
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Jack Denton, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
Quinto was staggered to learn of Rodemeyer’s death and said he was forced to confront his own hypocrisy.
—Max Gao, NBC News, 23 Sep. 2024
While his story staggers along, Narkevičius layers self-reflexive imagery throughout several scenes.
—Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
The cast staggered through the heckles to complete the four acts of Ibsen’s tragedy.
—Tomas Weber, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stagger 
Jack Denton, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
Quinto was staggered to learn of Rodemeyer’s death and said he was forced to confront his own hypocrisy.
—Max Gao, NBC News, 23 Sep. 2024
While his story staggers along, Narkevičius layers self-reflexive imagery throughout several scenes.
—Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
The cast staggered through the heckles to complete the four acts of Ibsen’s tragedy.
—Tomas Weber, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stagger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stagger
Verb
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Boeing has been lurching from crisis to crisis since January when the door panel blew off a near-new 737 MAX plane in midair, leading to the departure of Kelly's predecessor, Dave Calhoun.Dan Catchpole and Allison Lampert, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024
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Rather than succumbing to intoxication over the killing of Nasrallah and lurching into a full-scale, devastating regional war against Iran, Israel should take advantage of its current battlefield edge and Hamas’s and Hezbollah’s weakened state.Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Were Russia to falter in the war and start seeking an exit, countries outside Europe could be vital to the ensuing diplomacy.Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2024
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Like many in the auto industry, Stellantis has been contending with a perfect storm of challenges on the road to full electrification, including faltering global demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and competition from China.Matt Clinch,Sam Meredith, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
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European auto sales charts are filled with red ink as economies totter but a rare positive story surrounds Toyota’s premium subsidy Lexus, which will be helped by its newest electric vehicle, the RZ 300e.Neil Winton, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
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America was full of hope, tottering hastily toward a technological age filled with grand expectations for the future.Ruby Thélot, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2024
Verb
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But because spinners are so popular now, many hunters hesitate to run them, especially on pressured ducks.Joe Arterburn, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
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Don’t hesitate to do your best and implement a change that stimulates personal growth or self-improvement.Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The camera floats around the room like an invisible spider, circling and circling, weaving this trio into a diabolical web.Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2024
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The benefit of putting your words into action is clear: take an inventory of your company values and intentionally weave those into your everyday interactions with society. 3.Serenity Gibbons, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Surveyors reportedly stumbled upon the endangered bees during an environmental review of the area, forcing regulators to suspend the project.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
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In the fall of 2022, a Princeton University graduate student named Carolina Figueiredo stumbled onto a massive coincidence.Charlie Wood, WIRED, 3 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Before the pandemic, venture capital money rolled into TPC.Max Scheinblum, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024
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Many observers are confounded by voters’ willingness to roll the dice and reelect the intemperate Donald Trump as president.Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Once the road trip ends, Bronny will be shuffling between the G-League and the main Lakers roster.David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
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These relationships shuffle among the large, contentious staff — Mexican, white, Italian, black, Muslim, Albanian, and Dominican, a panoply of types whose individuality keeps the action lively, timely, yet unpredictable.Armond White, National Review, 30 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near stagger
Cite this Entry
“Stagger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stagger. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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