waver
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
to sway to and fro; flutter.
Foliage wavers in the breeze.
-
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.
-
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.
-
(of things) to fluctuate or vary.
Prices wavered.
-
to totter or reel.
The earth quaked and the tower wavered.
noun
verb
-
to be irresolute; hesitate between two possibilities
-
to become unsteady
-
to fluctuate or vary
-
to move back and forth or one way and another
-
(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
-
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
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 4
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 6
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
An ally concedes: "He has that strong sense of self – but it does waver sometimes."
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
"Our relationship with the US will remain critical as our most important defence and security ally. And Britain's support for Ukraine will not waver," Burnham wrote in The Times this month.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
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
“Our confidence doesn’t waver as a team,” Reaves said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
Her voice is so sincere that for a moment, I waver.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
He plans to leave the Public in the best possible shape for the next generation of artists, and never wavers from its core mission.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 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
She fronted up for difficult interviews after every defeat, never wavered in her support of her team-mates, endlessly put in hard graft after injuries threatened to end her career before she was ready.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Amateur cartographers released homemade maps of potential upzoned areas, while some cities wavered over whether their stops would be included or not.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The shares have since wavered, falling 16% on Monday alone, and options sellers are helping to create a two-way flow, which characterizes healthy markets.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 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
I tried to focus in on her face, but the sun’s reflection bounced off the surface of the water and her form wavered in the afternoon light.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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
Although stocks are wavering on Monday, markets have been in a major slump since the conflict began.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
“As we’ve seen over the last couple of years, there’s been wavering confidence that demand will persist in the long run, causing the market to selloff.”
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 30, 2026
Dane stared straight into the camera in the last few minutes of the Netflix special, his voice wavering when tears welled up in his eyes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
Torches are burning nearby, the flames flickering and wavering in the wind.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
