totter

American  

[tot-er] / ˈtɒt ər /

verb (used without object)

1. to walk or go with faltering, unsteady steps.

   She tottered down the street in high heels, desperately fighting to stay vertical.

2. to sway or rock on the base or ground, as if about to fall.

   The tower seemed to totter in the wind.

   Synonyms:

   waver

3. to shake or tremble.

   a load that tottered.

   Synonyms:

   quiver, oscillate

4. to lack security or stability; threaten to collapse.

   The government was tottering.

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noun

1. the act of tottering; an unsteady movement or gait.

totter British  

/ ˈtɒtə /

verb

1. to walk or move in an unsteady manner, as from old age

2. to sway or shake as if about to fall

3. to be failing, unstable, or precarious

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noun

1. the act or an instance of tottering

Related Words

See stagger.

Other Word Forms

• totterer noun
• tottering adjective
• totteringly adverb
• tottery adjective

Etymology

Origin of totter

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English toteren “to swing”; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

There, tottering on the edge of the railing that circled the parlor’s private balcony, was Edward Ashton.

From Literature

Alexander tottered about the room, spun in a circle, and fell to the floor.

From Literature

Coaxed and tugged by rangers, a blindfolded giraffe totters into the specialised vehicle that will transport it away from an increasingly hostile environment to a new home in Kenya's eastern Rift Valley.

From Barron's

He regularly held Saturday morning sessions with experts on the tottering Soviet empire and led the George H.W.

From The Wall Street Journal

If New York falls, the entire free world may again totter on its foundations.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• careen
• lurch
• teeter
• wobble