- present participle of totter.
tottering
Americanadjective
-
walking unsteadily or shakily.
-
lacking security or stability; threatening to collapse; precarious.
a tottering empire.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tottering
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.
It is also another blow to the tottering system of international law.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 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
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
Ralph stood now, one hand against an enormous red block, a block large as a mill wheel that had been split off and hung, tottering.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
