falter
Americanverb (used without object)
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to hesitate or waver in action, purpose, intent, etc.; give way.
Her courage did not falter at the prospect of hardship.
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to speak hesitatingly or brokenly.
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to move unsteadily; stumble.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the act of faltering; an unsteadiness of gait, voice, action, etc.
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a faltering sound.
verb
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(intr) to be hesitant, weak, or unsure; waver
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(intr) to move unsteadily or hesitantly; stumble
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to utter haltingly or hesitantly; stammer
noun
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uncertainty or hesitancy in speech or action
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a quavering or irregular sound
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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unfalteringlyadverb
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unfalteringadjective
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falteringlyadverb
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nonfalteringlyadverb
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nonfalteringadjective
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falterernoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has falteredperfect 3rd person singular
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have falteredperfect
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am falteringprogressive 1st person singular
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have been falteringperfect progressive
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is falteringprogressive 3rd person singular
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are falteringprogressive
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falterssingular 3rd person
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has been falteringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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falteringparticiple
Past
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had falteredperfect
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were falteringprogressive plural
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had been falteringperfect progressive
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falteredsimple
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was falteringprogressive singular
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falteredparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of falter
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English falteren, of obscure origin; perhaps akin to Old Norse faltrast “to bother with, be troubled with”
Explanation
Falter means to hesitate, stumble, or waver, and everything from faith to voices can do it. So if you want to keep your bride or groom happy, it's best not to falter when it's your turn to say "I do." Experts may falter if you ask them where falter came from, because the origins are pretty unclear. But everyone agrees on the current meaning: someone who falters is unsteady, wobbly, or unsure. You might falter while reciting a poem if you forget some of the lines, or falter crossing a rickety rope bridge when fear gets the most of you. But you certainly won't falter when someone asks you the meaning of this word.
Vocabulary lists containing falter
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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The Diary of Anne Frank
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 3
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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.
