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

Dotting the shoreline is a bleak expanse of detritus: timeworn pumps, tottering derricks, wayward cranes and aging pipelines.

From Los Angeles Times

He tottered back the way they had come.

From Literature

He sees the milk carton tottering, and tries to reach it, but his fingers graze the side.

From Literature

She tottered just a bit, momentarily losing her balance, but she refused my help.

From Literature

Now, as they tottered back to the Grand Dame under the weight of several heavy bags of loaves and pletzels, an unusual silence fell.

From Literature

Related Words

• careen
• lurch
• teeter
• wobble