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View synonyms for

totter

[ tot-er ]

verb (used without object)

  1. to walk or go with faltering, unsteady steps:

    She tottered down the street in high heels, desperately fighting to stay vertical.

  2. to sway or rock on the base or ground, as if about to fall:

    The tower seemed to totter in the wind.

    Synonyms:

  3. to shake or tremble:

    a load that tottered.

    Synonyms: ,

  4. to lack security or stability; threaten to collapse:

    The government was tottering.



noun

  1. the act of tottering; an unsteady movement or gait.

totter

/ ˈɒə /

verb

  1. to walk or move in an unsteady manner, as from old age
  2. to sway or shake as if about to fall
  3. to be failing, unstable, or precarious
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act or an instance of tottering
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈٴdzٳٱԲ, adverb
  • ˈٴdzٳٱ, noun
  • ˈٴdzٳٱ, adjective
  • ˈٴdzٳٱԲ, adjective
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Other yvlogs From

  • ٴdz·ٱ· noun
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of totter1

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English toteren “to swing”; origin uncertain
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of totter1

C12: perhaps from Old English tealtrian to waver, and Middle Dutch touteren to stagger
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Synonym Study

See stagger.
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Example Sentences

The two boys, aged 2 and 4, romped through the labyrinth of La Soledad, under lines of drying laundry, past deliverymen pushing stacked handcarts and carpenters hammering away at tottering structures.

From

Hope as a concept would not have worked for Biden, whose age and mental acuity were in question and who seemed to be tottering toward the election with little wind in his political sails.

From

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

From

The guardsmen blew their horns, and the caravan tottered on into a loose marching formation.

From

He tottered about, shivering, and stuffed every open chink as well as he could with his palsied paws, until no light came through anywhere.

From

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