totter
Americanverb (used without object)
-
totters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tottered,
past participle, past
-
tottering
present participle
-
to walk or go with faltering, unsteady steps.
She tottered down the street in high heels, desperately fighting to stay vertical.
-
to sway or rock on the base or ground, as if about to fall.
The tower seemed to totter in the wind.
- Synonyms:
- waver
-
to shake or tremble.
a load that tottered.
-
to lack security or stability; threaten to collapse.
The government was tottering.
noun
verb
-
to walk or move in an unsteady manner, as from old age
-
to sway or shake as if about to fall
-
to be failing, unstable, or precarious
noun
Synonym Usage
See stagger.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
tottersimple
-
totterssimple
-
have totteredperfect
-
has totteredperfect
-
am totteringprogressive
-
are totteringprogressive
-
is totteringprogressive
-
have been totteringperfect progressive
-
has been totteringperfect progressive
Past
-
totteredsimple
-
had totteredperfect
-
was totteringprogressive
-
were totteringprogressive
-
had been totteringperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing totter
"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
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Beowulf vocabulary
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25 Ways of Walking
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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:
She watches a humanoid robot totter around a demonstration kitchen until it trips on a chair and clatters to the ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
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
Between weeks two and three, they learn to stand, totter around like furry drunks, then walk steadily.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2018
Though my feet and body crave to rest, through halfopen eyes, I lean on Kim and totter on.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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 ● Nov. 17, 2025
The totters would pull out bigger pieces which might get stuck in machinery, he added.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2022
The tiger-skin-clad fellow at the center of “Mad Man” totters close to the ground, grasping the string of a skull-embellished balloon as if the orb will keep him upright — or sane.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 9, 2022
“If the state totters, those with nasty memories of life under the Taliban will fight on.”
From The Guardian ● Sep. 3, 2019
In front of him totters a German officer in field dress.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Sri Lanka has been gradually easing import restrictions, which were imposed as the country's economy tottered from a financial crisis caused by a severe shortage of dollars.
From Reuters ● Aug. 15, 2023
Lunch arrived soon afterwards with Balderson feasting on figures of 2-2-0-3, while Essex tottered on 34-4.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2022
He knocked once more, and an elderly woman in blue slippers and a long coat tottered out the gate, a floral bonnet over her silver hair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2022
I tottered up a narrow stairwell to the warmth and noise of the third-floor apartment.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2022
I tottered in the aisle, desperate to preserve my balance—and my dignity—as well as a grip on my bags and my cat.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Television and social media were filled with scenes of toppled and damaged buildings, including entire apartment blocks that appeared to be tottering as desperate residents camped out on the streets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
In a speech aimed at steadying his tottering premiership on Monday, Sir Keir said "incremental change won't cut it" as he promised to "face up to the big challenges" the country faced.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
This is a comic epic of bursting balloons and black eyes, tipsy aunts and tottering uncles, an errant mouse and driving snows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
But just as the left-hander was getting going, Starc pounced again, trapping him lbw for 21 to leave England tottering on 33-2.
From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025
He sees the milk carton tottering, and tries to reach it, but his fingers graze the side.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
