- present participle of stagger.
staggering
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of staggering
Explanation
A staggering amount is an astonishing, astounding, stupefying amount. Anything staggering blows your mind. If you know that stagger means to stumble around uncertainly, then you're close to the meaning of staggering: this is a word for things that are so hard to believe you might fall down when you hear them. If the President gets shot, that's staggering news. If there's a major earthquake, that's staggering. Alien life contacting the Earth would be extremely staggering. Anything that knocks your socks off or makes your mind reel is staggering.
Vocabulary lists containing staggering
Tuck Everlasting
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Hatchet
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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.
But it’s their palpable trust in one another that’s staggering.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Lawyers acting for the bereaved families said it was "staggering" the documents came to light at such a late stage in the inquiry's work.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
That is a staggering 3.6% of gross domestic product a year, on average.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
While about 10% of all the coins launched turned out to be outright scams, the figure for those endorsed by so-called celebrities was a staggering 45% to 48%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
I shouted after a quake sent me staggering into the wall.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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.
