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

Explanation

If you spin yourself around until you are dizzy, you will likely totter if you try to step forward. Totter is a verb that means "move unsteadily, as though you are about to fall down." To totter is to move in a wobbly, unsteady manner. When a person totters, they look like they are going to fall down. In a boxing match, a boxer might totter after taking a blow to the head. During an earthquake, buildings may totter, or sway, appearing as though they may fall down. Totter can also imply a rocking motion; a playground seesaw, for instance, is sometimes called "a teeter-totter."

Example Sentences

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

Mr Mohamed, from Poole, was working as a "totter", sorting waste by hand at the yard in Mannings Heath Road, the court heard.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2022

Next we made a short descent to totter over tide pools, marveling at neon-green anemones, until a hefty spray of salty water showered us from the spouting horn of Thor’s Well.

From Washington Post • Jul. 1, 2021

I always said I didn’t have a wheel, I had a teeter totter, I had family and work.

From Slate • Mar. 28, 2019

We pulled around a comer, and I felt myself totter uncertainly and then lean into the door.

From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata

Related Words

• careen
• lurch
• teeter
• wobble