falter

American  

[fawl-ter] / ˈfɔl tər /

verb (used without object)

• falters,
  present (3rd person singular)
• faltered,
  past participle,  past
• faltering
  present participle

1. to hesitate or waver in action, purpose, intent, etc.; give way.

   Her courage did not falter at the prospect of hardship.

2. to speak hesitatingly or brokenly.

3. to move unsteadily; stumble.

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verb (used with object)

• falters,
  present (3rd person singular)
• faltered,
  past participle,  past
• faltering
  present participle

1. to utter hesitatingly or brokenly.

   to falter an apology.

noun

1. the act of faltering; an unsteadiness of gait, voice, action, etc.

2. a faltering sound.

falter British  

/ ˈfɔːltə /

verb

1. (intr) to be hesitant, weak, or unsure; waver

2. (intr) to move unsteadily or hesitantly; stumble

3. to utter haltingly or hesitantly; stammer

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noun

1. uncertainty or hesitancy in speech or action

2. a quavering or irregular sound

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• falterer
  noun
• nonfaltering
  adjective
• unfaltering
  adjective
• falteringly
  adverb
• nonfalteringly
  adverb
• unfalteringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• faltering
  present
• faltered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• falter
  simple
• falters
  simple
• have faltered
  perfect
• has faltered
  perfect
• am faltering
  progressive
• are faltering
  progressive
• is faltering
  progressive
• have been faltering
  perfect progressive
• has been faltering
  perfect progressive

Past

• faltered
  simple
• had faltered
  perfect
• was faltering
  progressive
• were faltering
  progressive
• had been faltering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will falter
  simple
• will have faltered
  perfect
• will be faltering
  progressive
• will have been faltering
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

falter falters faltered faltering

Only when began to read a statement to the court, did Mangione appear to falter.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Should Anthropic, OpenAI and other big buyers of AI computing power falter, massive contracts would likely be reworked and backlogs would shrink.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

I’ll never falter in my beliefs in that.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

"British support for Ukraine will not falter," he wrote in the Times in early July.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Despair, ready to engulf him should he falter.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Even when “Stop! That! Train!” falters and the steel of the train tracks starts to shake things too severely, the film is put back on its course by its sheer joy.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

“Brigadoon” manages to transcend time, but this take on “Flower Drum Song” falters between eras.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026

When confidence falters, that mismatch can turn manageable losses into systemic crises.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 13, 2026

As leadership falters and fewer sectors provide support, the selling becomes more indiscriminate.

From Barron's ● Apr. 2, 2026

Then she sees me and falters, eyes widening.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

But a major European tour this summer faltered, with several concerts scrapped amid uproar over the star's views.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Even so, their performance has often faltered, and some are having second thoughts about holding these assets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The UK economy saw a strong start to the year, but growth then faltered with the conflict in the Middle East affecting some businesses.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

It boasts strong exports and cutting-edge technology, while domestic spending has faltered and property prices remain in the doldrums.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

He faltered and nearly slumped to the floor.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

Dodgers right-hander Edgardo Henriquez was on the mound as their third pitcher in a bullpen game, and his command was faltering, to the tune of back-to-back walks and a wild pitch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Indonesian policymakers have implemented a string of rate increases this year to support the faltering rupiah and fragile economic growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

But he could not convert that positive position, faltering as he served for the set at 5-3 and eventually coming up short in the tie-break.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

France and Germany announced Monday a deal for the joint governance of arms maker KNDS, paving the way for a blockbuster share offering as they seek to reinvigorate faltering European defence cooperation.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

As he added branches to keep the faltering flames alive, he watched the rain pelt the icy slate- gray waters of the bay.

From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen

Related Words

• flounder
• hesitate
• reel
• waver
• wobble