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Synonyms

staggered

American  
[stag-erd] / ˈstæg ərd /

adjective

  1. arranged in a series of alternating or continually overlapping intervals of time.

    Board members serve staggered four-year terms, with new directors replacing outgoing ones each year.

  2. arranged so as to alternate on either side of a center.

    A circular base approximately 2 meters in diameter is placed atop a couple of staggered layers of brick to allow for aeration from below.

  3. scheduled or ordered in gradual stages; phased.

    Microsoft has confirmed that the new update will be a staggered release.

  4. rendered helpless with astonishment; shocked.

    Shakespeare’s King Lear questions everything we know, posing to our staggered imaginations the possibility that the cosmos is immoral, even malevolent.

verb

  1. the simple past tense and past participle of stagger.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of staggered

stagger ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )

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.

Startled young women, hands in the air, staggered out of darkened rooms.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026

On police advice, the couple used three different removal companies and staggered their move to make sure the criminals did not find out her new address.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Over the first six months of this staggered fiscal year, the deficit fell by 11 percent, or $139 billion, thanks to the increase in revenue that occurred between October and December due to customs duties.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

A simple strategy is to “ladder” Treasury bills: Divide your investment into portions and purchase bills with staggered maturities, such as 3, 6, 9 and 12 months.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

We leaned into the wind and staggered on through the snow.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

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.