waver

¹ American  

[wey-ver] / ˈweɪ vər /

verb (used without object)

1. to sway to and fro; flutter.

   Foliage wavers in the breeze.

2. to flicker or quiver, as light.

   A distant beam wavered and then disappeared.

3. become unsteady; begin to fail or give way.

   When she heard the news her courage wavered.

4. to shake or tremble, as the hands or voice.

   Her voice wavered.

   Synonyms:

   quiver

5. to feel or show doubt, indecision, etc.; vacillate.

   He wavered in his determination.

6. (of things) to fluctuate or vary.

   Prices wavered.

7. to totter or reel.

   The earth quaked and the tower wavered.

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noun

1. an act of wavering, fluttering, or vacillating.

waver ² American  

[wey-ver] / ˈweɪ vər /

noun

1. a person who waves or causes something to wave.

   Election time brings out the wavers of flags and haranguers of mobs.

2. a person who specializes in waving hair.

3. something, as a curling iron, used for waving hair.

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waver British  

/ ˈweɪvə /

verb

1. to be irresolute; hesitate between two possibilities

2. to become unsteady

3. to fluctuate or vary

4. to move back and forth or one way and another

5. (of light) to flicker or flash

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noun

1. the act or an instance of wavering

Synonym Usage

Waver, fluctuate, vacillate refer to an alternation or hesitation between one direction and another. Waver means to hesitate between choices: to waver between two courses of action. Fluctuate suggests irregular change from one side to the other or up and down: The prices of stocks fluctuate when there is bad news followed by good. Vacillate is to make up one's mind and change it again suddenly; to be undecided as to what to do: We must not vacillate but must set a day.

Other Word Forms

• unwavered
  adjective
• waverer
  noun
• wavering
  adjective
• waveringly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of waver¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English waveren, waferen “to totter, swing”; cognate with Middle High German wabern “to waver,” dialectal German wabern “to move about,” Old Norse vafra “to hover about, roam”; see wave, -er ⁶

Origin of waver²

First recorded in 1550–60; wave + -er ¹

Explanation

To waver is to move back and forth, like when you waver, one minute thinking you'll stay home, planning to go meet your friends the next, until you finally make your decision. Waver comes from the Old English word wæfre, which means “restless.” When the wind blows, it makes the leaves and flowers waver, or move, in that same direction. A person who wavers is much the same — affected by any influence or change. He or she isn't sure what to do or may be too shy to express a preference until time is just about up and a decision must be made.

Example Sentences

But President Nixon’s resignation, economic stagnation and the Vietnam War had caused Americans’ faith in government to waver.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

When Paul pressed him again about his lack of apology, lack of contrition, and inability to even say he “misspoke,” while ribbing him about his “low impulse control” and presentation of “machismo,” Mullin didn’t waver.

From Slate • Mar. 18, 2026

Lee said Choi "did not waver" after a brutal fall that drew audible gasps from the crowd during her first run.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

For the sake of his health, they were reluctant to waver from it, even when Ohtani had a no-hitter through five his last time out, against the Philadelphia Phillies.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025

Armistead saw a visible waver pass through the ranks in front of him.

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara

Related Words

• dither
• falter
• fluctuate
• hedge
• hesitate
• oscillate
• pause
• quiver
• seesaw
• shake
• sway
• teeter
• tremble
• vacillate
• vary
• waffle
• wobble