teeter
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to move unsteadily.
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to ride a seesaw; teetertotter.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a seesaw motion; wobble.
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a seesaw; teetertotter.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
teetersimple
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teeterssimple
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have teeteredperfect
-
has teeteredperfect
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am teeteringprogressive
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are teeteringprogressive
-
is teeteringprogressive
-
have been teeteringperfect progressive
-
has been teeteringperfect progressive
Past
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teeteredsimple
-
had teeteredperfect
-
was teeteringprogressive
-
were teeteringprogressive
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had been teeteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of teeter
1835–45; variant of dial. titter, Middle English titeren < Old Norse titra tremble; cognate with German zittern to tremble, quiver
Explanation
To teeter is to waver or sway a bit from lack of balance. When people first learn to ride a bicycle, they inevitably teeter for a while before becoming more skilled and confident. A beginning gymnast will teeter on the balance beam, and anyone who's not accustomed to high-heeled shoes will teeter as they walk in them. Figuratively, you might even teeter, or hesitate, between two hard choices. A "teeter-totter," or seesaw, is a playground toy for two people, a long board fixed on a center support, designed so that when one kid is down, the other is up.
Vocabulary lists containing teeter
The Egypt Game
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Purple Hibiscus
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Charlotte's Web
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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:
Crisis strikes the kitchen when our forgotten, shelved-away ingredients teeter on the fine line between fresh and spoiled.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
The characters in her novels long for stability in landscapes where the past is forever intruding on the present—they teeter on the shifting border between perception and fact.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
If it can’t get payments from tenants quickly enough to cover its debt needs, the company’s business model could teeter.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2025
Until vaccination rates improve, we’ll teeter on the edge with this disease.
From Slate ● Apr. 24, 2025
Sometimes the outcome really does teeter and hang in the balance.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
It provides huge ratings to networks that are generally suffering from viewership declines as traditional media teeters, cord-cutting continues and subscription streaming services nab a growing amount of U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Broadcom earnings could be strong thanks to artificial intelligence demand, but shareholders should be prepared for a muted stock reaction as market sentiment teeters.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
The rest of Sudan teeters on the edge of disaster.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2025
An epic treehouse that has stood in Sherman Oaks for 24 years now teeters on the brink of destruction after the city of L.A. declared the whimsical creation a crime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025
Timber splinters, as though the rubble teeters on some final fulcrum.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
The company famously teetered on the edge of bankruptcy in 1996, surviving only through a $5 million cash injection from the Japanese videogame developer Sega.
From MarketWatch ● May 23, 2026
Nomadic Aviation Group, his company, had been standing by for months as Spirit teetered closer to the brink.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
Others teetered on the hole's edge, or listed as water ran away.
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2025
It teetered so ominously on its pole that some deputies joked about betting on when it would finally fall down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2025
And then she pumped her fist in the air and her bike teetered for a moment before she leaned forward and pedaled faster, leaving me behind.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
Messi and Co. were teetering on the edge not only of defeat, but of suffering the most ignominious upset in the 96-year history of the tournament.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
"The project will enable the production of scientifically accurate replicas for museums, classrooms and educational programs, helping to raise awareness and support conservation efforts for a species now teetering on the edge of extinction."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026
Steve Coogan is terrific in a rare dramatic role, as is Tom Burke as cop teetering on the edge as he falls dangerously deep into his undercover persona.
From MarketWatch ● May 31, 2026
Previous comments by President Donald Trump had suggested weeks of stop-start negotiations to strike a permanent end to the war were teetering on the "borderline" between a deal and renewed attacks.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
Mom asks, the edge in her voice teetering over into anger.
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
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.
