teeter

[ tee-ter ]

/ ˈti tər /

Chiefly Northern U.S.

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See synonyms for: teeter / teetered / teetering on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to move unsteadily.

to ride a seesaw; teetertotter.

verb (used with object)

to tip (something) up and down; move unsteadily.

noun

a seesaw motion; wobble.

a seesaw; teetertotter.

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Origin of teeter

1835–45; variant of dial. titter,Middle English titeren<Old Norse titra tremble; cognate with German zittern to tremble, quiver

Words nearby teeter

tee-plate, Tees, tee shirt, tee-square, Teesside, teeter, teeterboard, teetertotter, teeth, teethe, teether

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use teeter in a sentence

The program began to teeter under the weight of its own outsized expectations, questionable staffing decisions, and naivete.
Send in the Marines—and the Anthropologists too?|John Kael Weston|August 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It is a moment in history worth remembering as we once more teeter on a historical precipice.
Mideast War in Our Time?|Jamie Dettmer|May 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The economy will teeter, one foot over the cliff, while members of Congress soak up the recess sun or swoosh down the ski slopes.
Robert Shrum: Obama Won Election & Will Win Again on Fiscal Cliff|Robert Shrum|December 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Unaware of their own strength, they teeter on the edge of the victim abyss.
A Writer's International Wanderings|Susan Salter Reynolds|May 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST

The one-liners, ungrounded in the best of times, now teeter dangerously close to nastiness.
The Banned 'Family Guy' Episode|Paul Cullum|August 13, 2009|DAILY BEAST
A broad and massive teeter-board was brought in, and balanced across a support about two feet high.
Kings in Exile|Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts
Instantly King descended from his pedestal, ran over to the teeter-board, and mounted it at the centre.
Kings in Exile|Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts
And when he stooped over to pick up his child he turned into a sand-snipe, and the baby turned into a little teeter-snipe.
Aw-Aw-Tam Indian Nights|J. William Lloyd
A few birds flew up from along the shore, some of them "teeter" snipe that had been feeding.
The Boy Scouts' First Camp Fire|Herbert Carter
But betwixt the pair of you you've nigh druv two old women crazy, and set the whole village a-teeter.
The Brass Bound Box|Evelyn Raymond

British Dictionary definitions for teeter

teeter

/ (ˈtiːtə) /

verb

to move or cause to move unsteadily; wobble

noun, verb

another word for seesaw

Word Origin for teeter

C19: from Middle English titeren, related to Old Norse titra to tremble, Old High German zittarōn to shiver

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

teeter

Origin of teeter

Words nearby teeter

Words related to teeter

How to use teeter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for teeter

Word Origin for teeter