staggering

[ stag-uh-ring ]

/ ˈstæg ə rɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR staggering ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

tending to stagger or overwhelm: a staggering amount of money required in the initial investment.

Nearby words

Origin of staggering

First recorded in 1555–65; stagger + -ing²

Related formsstag·ger·ing·ly, adverbun·stag·ger·ing, adjective

Definition for staggering (2 of 2)

stagger

[ stag-er ]

/ ˈstæg ər /

verb (used without object)

to walk, move, or stand unsteadily.

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

to waver or begin to doubt, as in purpose or opinion; hesitate: After staggering momentarily, he recognized that he had to make a decision.

verb (used with object)

to cause to reel, totter, or become unsteady: This load would stagger an elephant.

to shock; render helpless with amazement or the like; astonish: The vastness of outer space staggers the mind.

to cause to waver or falter: The news staggered her belief in the triumph of justice.

to arrange in a zigzag order or manner on either side of a center: The captain staggered the troops along the road.

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.

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

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

a staggered order or arrangement.

Aeronautics.

a staggered arrangement of wings.
the amount of staggering.

staggers. (used with a singular verb) Veterinary Pathology.

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

Origin of stagger

1520–30; earlier stacker to reel, Middle English stakeren < Old Norse stakra to reel, equivalent to stak(a) to stagger + -ra frequentative suffix

SYNONYMS FOR stagger

1 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.

3 vacillate.

5 astound, confound, dumfound.

7 alternate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stagger ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsstag·ger·er, nounout·stag·ger, verb (used with object)un·stag·gered, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for staggering

A staggering 80 percent of college women do not report the crime to police, compared to 67 percent of non-students.
College Girls Are Less Likely to Be Raped Than Non-Students|Brandy Zadrozny|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The total number of maps reported missing by the affected institutions, however, was a staggering 256.
The Million-Dollar Map Thief|Nick Romeo|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Brazilian beauty pulled in a staggering $47 million in 2013 alone, equating to a cool $128,000 a day.
Gisele Bundchen Is Worth $128k a Day; Prince William Gets the Photoshop Treatment|The Fashion Beast Team|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The conservative reporter claims to have ‘debunked’ a report showing the staggering number of school shootings in America.
This Gun Nut Says Most School Shootings Aren’t Real|Brandy Zadrozny|June 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The forests, with their mind-boggling biodiversity, are a staggering 10,000 times older than those of North America and Europe.
Exploring the Amazon, While We Still Can|Darrell Hartman|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Wild were the plaudits of the multitude, but the lion was staggering and his roar was muffled.
Ulric the Jarl|William O. Stoddard
One sees them staggering gravewards under a load of self-imposed burdens.
Alone|Norman Douglas
I got up, staggering like a drunken man, and passing my hands several times over my face, looked carefully about me.
Dream Tales and Prose Poems|Ivan Turgenev
Staggering out again blind and roasting, he fell on the pave, and was carried off, but with the purse intact.
The Prince of India, Volume II|Lew. Wallace
Limping and staggering, Jerrold managed to urge the Eagle out of harm's way.
Motor Matt's Air Ship|Stanley R. Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for staggering (1 of 2)

staggering

/ (ˈstæɡərɪŋ) /

adjective

astounding or overwhelming; shockinga staggering increase in demand

Derived Formsstaggeringly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for staggering (2 of 2)

stagger

/ (ˈstæɡə) /

verb

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

(tr) to astound or overwhelm, as with shockI am staggered by his ruthlessness

(tr) to place or arrange in alternating or overlapping positions or time periods to prevent confusion or congestiona staggered junction; to stagger holidays

(intr) to falter or hesitatehis courage staggered in the face of the battle

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

noun

the act or an instance of staggering

a staggered arrangement on a biplane, etc

Word Origin for stagger

C13 dialect stacker, from Old Norse staka to push

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for staggering (1 of 2)

staggering

adj.

"amazing," 1560s, from present participle of stagger (v.). Related: Staggeringly.

Word Origin and History for staggering (1 of 2)

stagger

1520s, altered from stakeren (c.1300), from Old Norse stakra or Old Danish stagra, both "to push, stagger." Cognate with Dutch staggelen "to stagger," German staggeln "to stammer." Transitive sense of "bewilder, amaze" first recorded 1550s; that of "arrange in a zig-zag pattern" is from 1856. Related: Staggered; staggering.

staggering

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of staggering

Definition for staggering (2 of 2)

stagger

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of stagger

Examples from the Web for staggering

British Dictionary definitions for staggering (1 of 2)

staggering

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for staggering (2 of 2)

stagger

verb

noun

Word Origin for stagger

Word Origin and History for staggering (1 of 2)

staggering

Word Origin and History for staggering (1 of 2)

stagger