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.
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 Englishstakeren < Old Norsestakra to reel, equivalent to stak(a) to stagger + -ra frequentative suffix
Related formsstag·ger·er, nounout·stag·ger, verb (used with object)un·stag·gered, adjective
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.
a form of vertigo associated with decompression sickness
Also called: blind staggersa disease of horses and some other domestic animals characterized by a swaying unsteady gait, caused by infection, toxins, or lesions of the central nervous system
stagger
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
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.
