stagger
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to cause to reel, totter, or become unsteady.
This load would stagger an elephant.
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to shock; render helpless with amazement or the like; astonish.
The vastness of outer space staggers the mind.
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to cause to waver or falter.
The news staggered her belief in the triumph of justice.
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to arrange in a zigzag order or manner on either side of a center.
The captain staggered the troops along the road.
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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.
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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
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the act of staggering; a reeling or tottering movement or motion.
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a staggered order or arrangement.
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Aeronautics.
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a staggered arrangement of wings.
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the amount of staggering.
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(used with a singular verb) staggers.
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Also called blind staggers. acute selenium poisoning of livestock characterized by a staggering gait usually followed by respiratory failure and death.
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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.
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verb
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(usually intr) to walk or cause to walk unsteadily as if about to fall
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(tr) to astound or overwhelm, as with shock
I am staggered by his ruthlessness
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(tr) to place or arrange in alternating or overlapping positions or time periods to prevent confusion or congestion
a staggered junction
to stagger holidays
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(intr) to falter or hesitate
his courage staggered in the face of the battle
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(tr) to set (the wings of a biplane) so that the leading edge of one extends beyond that of the other
noun
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the act or an instance of staggering
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a staggered arrangement on a biplane, etc
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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staggersimple
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staggerssimple
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have staggeredperfect
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has staggeredperfect
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am staggeringprogressive
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are staggeringprogressive
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is staggeringprogressive
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have been staggeringperfect progressive
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has been staggeringperfect progressive
Past
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staggeredsimple
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had staggeredperfect
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was staggeringprogressive
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were staggeringprogressive
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had been staggeringperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing stagger
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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Vocabulary from history writings about the Triangle Factory Fire
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An Excerpt from "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead
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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.
See Examples For:
He would stagger payments, making headway on one card by paying just over the minimum one month, then doing the same on a different card the next.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
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
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
My marks had plummeted, while the rest of the school tried to stagger on like everything was normal.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
The Monkey King frees six puppet horses, who rise above the stage on long poles; he staggers out of the furnace with glowing red eyes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025
This is the blistering reality of summer for rescuers in Phoenix as America’s fifth-largest city staggers through one of its longest stretches ever of 110-degree days.
From New York Times ● Jul. 16, 2023
Still in her wedding dress, she staggers out to the street shrieking, “Is everybody gay???”
From Washington Post ● Apr. 3, 2023
A middle-aged man staggers into the bar and dances and sings along to a song in the Kikuyu language before slumping on one of the benches to join his friends.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2023
Dad lifts him, staggers across the room, places him in the bed by my mother.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
One source claimed that the invitees’ arrival times were staggered such that there were A, B, C, and D lists.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Those agencies are often structured as multimember commissions with staggered, time-limited terms.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
“That’s sort of a challenge in the moment. We’re trying to take steps like that staggered notice to try to mitigate that and make sure that folks are available.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
She’s driving past homes here, finding their prices on websites, is staggered by the bang for the buck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
The heat outside was like a physical assault, and they all staggered.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
The proposed sum is staggering to people familiar with the State Department’s allocation practices and would dwarf the organization’s budget.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Just around the time they started staggering onto TV, Colson Whitehead published a zombie novel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The potential for discoveries in material science, healthcare and beyond are staggering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Over one-third of American children and a staggering 53 percent of Black children will be subjected to a child protective services investigation at some point in their childhoods.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
She leaned in a bit to deliver her next inquiry, and I got a soft, staggering whiff of her peppermint scent.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
