Synonyms

tottering

American

[tot-er-ing] / ˈtɒt ər ɪŋ /

adjective

walking unsteadily or shakily.
lacking security or stability; threatening to collapse; precarious.

a tottering empire.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of tottering

totter + -ing ²

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.

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

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025

The singer’s sweeping eyeliner, tottering heels and disheveled beehive are still instantly recognizable, 13 years after her death.

From New York Times • May 16, 2024

Cousin Eunice replaced her glasses and pushed herself up from the table, tottering a little in her high heels.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023