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.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• unstaggered adjective

Etymology

Origin of staggered

stagger ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Tessa Gregory, a human rights lawyer with Leigh Day, told the BBC she was "staggered" no UK police investigation had ever been launched, after we showed her examples of our findings.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

Rather, the tax is deferred until those funds are withdrawn, which allows more staggered drawdowns to help minimize taxes.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

Separately, the government announced spring and autumn school holidays and is encouraging staggered paid leave—moves that could lift family-oriented tourism and leisure spending.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

They staggered their last days and made a rolling drama out of it for weeks.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Sure enough, five women staggered along on mismatched legs—mechanical bronze on the left, shaggy and cloven-hooved on the right.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• astonished
• awed
• baffled
• befuddled
• dazed
• mystified
• perplexed
• puzzled
• rattled
• shocked
• startled
• stunned
• surprised