stagger

American  

[stag-er] / ˈstæg ər /

verb (used without object)

1. to walk, move, or stand unsteadily.

2. to falter or begin to give way, as in an argument or fight.

3. to waver or begin to doubt, as in purpose or opinion; hesitate.

   After staggering momentarily, he recognized that he had to make a decision.

   Synonyms:

   vacillate

---

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to reel, totter, or become unsteady.

   This load would stagger an elephant.

2. to shock; render helpless with amazement or the like; astonish.

   The vastness of outer space staggers the mind.

   Synonyms:

   dumbfound, confound, astound

3. to cause to waver or falter.

   The news staggered her belief in the triumph of justice.

4. to arrange in a zigzag order or manner on either side of a center.

   The captain staggered the troops along the road.

   Synonyms:

   alternate, step

5. to arrange otherwise than at the same time, especially in a series of alternating or continually overlapping intervals.

   They planned to stagger lunch hours so that the cafeteria would not be rushed.

6. Aeronautics. to arrange (the wings of a biplane or the like) so that the entering edge of an upper wing is either in advance of or behind that of a corresponding lower wing.

noun

1. the act of staggering; a reeling or tottering movement or motion.

2. a staggered order or arrangement.

3. Aeronautics.

   1. a staggered arrangement of wings.

   2. the amount of staggering.

4. (used with a singular verb) staggers.

   1. Also called blind staggers.  acute selenium poisoning of livestock characterized by a staggering gait usually followed by respiratory failure and death.

   2. a condition of unknown cause, occurring in pregnant sheep, cattle, and other animals during or just following extended transport, characterized by a staggering gait and progressive paralysis.

stagger British  

/ ˈstæɡə /

verb

1. (usually intr) to walk or cause to walk unsteadily as if about to fall

2. (tr) to astound or overwhelm, as with shock

   I am staggered by his ruthlessness

3. (tr) to place or arrange in alternating or overlapping positions or time periods to prevent confusion or congestion

   a staggered junction

   to stagger holidays

4. (intr) to falter or hesitate

   his courage staggered in the face of the battle

5. (tr) to set (the wings of a biplane) so that the leading edge of one extends beyond that of the other

---

noun

1. the act or an instance of staggering

2. a staggered arrangement on a biplane, etc

Related Words

Stagger, reel, totter suggest an unsteady manner of walking. To stagger is successively to lose and regain one's equilibrium and the ability to maintain one's direction: to stagger with exhaustion, a heavy load, or intoxication. To reel is to sway dizzily and be in imminent danger of falling: to reel when faint with hunger. To totter is to move in a shaky, uncertain, faltering manner and suggests the immediate likelihood of falling from weakness or feebleness: An old man tottered along with a cane.

Other Word Forms

• outstagger verb (used with object)
• staggerer noun

Etymology

Origin of stagger

First recorded in 1520–30; earlier stacker “to reel,” Middle English stakeren, from Old Norse stakra “to reel,” equivalent to stak(a) “to stagger” + -ra frequentative suffix

Explanation

Running a marathon is an impressive feat! Even though you had to stagger — or walk unsteadily — across the finish line, you should be proud of your accomplishment. The word stagger isn't just used to describe the physical action of stumbling. When you're really shocked about a piece of news, it can stagger or shock you. When you want to spread something out overtime, like paying a large bill, you can stagger the payments over time. But, remember that if you fall behind, the debt you fall into might stagger you.

Example Sentences

Brown managed to stagger out of Buck’s apartment to a nearby gas station, where he called 911.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

This pair, portrayed by Nicholas Braun and Kara Young, stumble and stagger through life collecting scars like other people collect stamps or baseball cards.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Asian investors battled Wednesday to kickstart a recovery in equities following the latest stagger across world markets that has been caused by worries over an AI-fuelled bubble and uncertainty over US interest rates.

From Barron's • Nov. 19, 2025

Somewhere half past exhaustion, we stagger back to Café Iruña.

From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025

It had tumbled the length of its body and was trying to stagger to its feet; after a moment it gave up and lay still, barefoot, shivering, its belly heaving in and out.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• amaze
• astonish
• devastate
• dumbfound
• overwhelm
• paralyze
• puzzle
• shake
• shatter
• startle
• stun