waver
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
to sway to and fro; flutter.
Foliage wavers in the breeze.
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to flicker or quiver, as light.
A distant beam wavered and then disappeared.
-
become unsteady; begin to fail or give way.
When she heard the news her courage wavered.
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to shake or tremble, as the hands or voice.
Her voice wavered.
- Synonyms:
- quiver
-
to feel or show doubt, indecision, etc.; vacillate.
He wavered in his determination.
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(of things) to fluctuate or vary.
Prices wavered.
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to totter or reel.
The earth quaked and the tower wavered.
noun
verb
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to be irresolute; hesitate between two possibilities
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to become unsteady
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to fluctuate or vary
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to move back and forth or one way and another
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(of light) to flicker or flash
noun
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
waversimple
-
waverssimple
-
have waveredperfect
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has waveredperfect
-
am waveringprogressive
-
are waveringprogressive
-
is waveringprogressive
-
have been waveringperfect progressive
-
has been waveringperfect progressive
Past
-
waveredsimple
-
had waveredperfect
-
was waveringprogressive
-
were waveringprogressive
-
had been waveringperfect progressive
Future
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing waver
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List 4
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 6
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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:
“I do waver back and forth between, ‘you’re out, you’re 49.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
"Her love and devotion for the Arcadia community have not changed and did not waver," the statement added.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
“Our confidence doesn’t waver as a team,” Reaves said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 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
Missus Whitworth’s smile does not waver, but the slightest bit of pink rises in her cheeks.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
Her commitment to her singular vision never wavers, but as an actor, Glowicki is truly astonishing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
Walmart stock wavers as fourth-quarter earnings beat expectations but full-year guidance is softer than anticipated.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
My car never tires, panics or wavers; it doesn’t jolt at brake lights or grumble at traffic jams.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
“Investors continue to show low conviction around equities, which I view as a contrarian positive. If conviction wavers easily, then this is a sign that sentiment is not ebullient, ” Lee says.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2025
The low-ceilinged sea-green room wavers with the flames and incense of a hundred candles.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
But the attacking ambition and accuracy wavered across the contest.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Farjado’s voice wavered as she recalled one of her son’s promises: “He told me every time he’ll be at home: ‘Mom, don’t worry when you don’t work, when you’re doing nothing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
The film has wavered too much, and the story’s vacillating opinion on devices starts to point back at Disney.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
But companies have never been core customers for Meta outside ad sales, and its commitment to them has wavered over the years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
He tried to sound brave, but his voice wavered.
From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
And in this strict social classification - known as songbun – the jjaepo belong to the "wavering class", somewhere between the core and hostile classes.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Shares of Cerebras fell in their second trading day, but have remained higher than the initial offering price, despite wavering analyst confidence that the startup has a place in the AI ecosystem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
But U.S. exports have been wavering substantially week-to-week, and the largest share of U.S. jet fuel goes to Canada and Mexico, so there’s only so much available supply to divert to Europe.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
The pioneering crypto’s sharp reversal signals a now increasing appetite for risk, with traditional safe-haven assets wavering.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026
He looked back and fancied that he could see the lights of Wall behind him, wavering and glimmering as if in a heat-haze, but still inviting.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
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.
