teeter
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to move unsteadily.
-
to ride a seesaw; teetertotter.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a seesaw motion; wobble.
-
a seesaw; teetertotter.
verb
noun
Etymology
Origin of teeter
1835–45; variant of dial. titter, Middle English titeren < Old Norse titra tremble; cognate with German zittern to tremble, quiver
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her ashen hair sits in a quivering pile atop her head and her spectacles, if not teetering on the end of her sniffer, hang from a sterling chain to rest upon her ample bosom.
From Literature
He teetered a bit on his toes, then caught himself with the heel of his right hand, messing up part of the work he’d just done.
From Literature
A nuclear bunker that was teetering on the edge of a rapidly eroding cliff is now at the mercy of the sea after collapsing further.
From BBC
It’s a pyramid of matches teetering on today’s destabilizing reality — and Lanthimos likes to spark fires.
From Los Angeles Times
But the swoop of one wing brushed the teetering wreckage of the giant robot pelican suit in a particularly vulnerable spot.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
