teeter
Americanverb (used without object)
-
teeters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
teetered,
past participle, past
-
teetering
present participle
-
to move unsteadily.
-
to ride a seesaw; teetertotter.
verb (used with object)
-
teeters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
teetered,
past participle, past
-
teetering
present participle
noun
-
a seesaw motion; wobble.
-
a seesaw; teetertotter.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
teetersimple
-
teeterssimple
-
have teeteredperfect
-
has teeteredperfect
-
am teeteringprogressive
-
are teeteringprogressive
-
is teeteringprogressive
-
have been teeteringperfect progressive
-
has been teeteringperfect progressive
Past
-
teeteredsimple
-
had teeteredperfect
-
was teeteringprogressive
-
were teeteringprogressive
-
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:
From here, Robert carefully stacks a Jenga tower of suspense-laden set pieces and surprisingly moving family drama, without so much as letting the structure teeter.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 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
Ten minutes later, I teeter on a six-inch-wide ledge hundreds of feet above the dunes, glaring daggers at Izzi.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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
Freed by two tuxedoed roadies, the pop star teeters to her microphone in a black sequinned ball gown and does the worst thing a performer can do - plays a brand new song.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2025
It’s the entrance of Li’l Petey that grounds and focuses the affably chaotic “Dog Man,” which often teeters on the edge of completely out of control.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2025
She teeters towards me; I wait for a sign.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
MP Materials, a volatile small-cap since its 2020 special-purpose acquisition company debut, has swung between boom and bust for rare-earth investors but has never teetered on the edge of failure.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Job growth lagged far behind much of the country and property values teetered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
Nothing could bridge the gap - and the talks teetered on the verge of collapse.
From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2025
“Many of the key teachings from OneTaste teetered between helping and harming the student,” she writes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025
Her hair was matted with sweat, and droplets of moisture teetered on the edge of her upper lip.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
It sort of gave me a direction early on because I was a little bit teetering in those days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
If anything, Grande is having a blast - teetering around in perilous heels, blowing kisses to the audience and embracing the physical and vocal demands of her show.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Yet state compensation systems began teetering in the 1990s after they expanded benefits and medical costs ballooned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the "situation is getting out of control. It is teetering on the edge of the unimaginable".
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Aunt Hila entered the living room minutes later carrying a teetering tray on which were balanced two small coffee cups and a bowl of dates.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
