Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense teeters, present participle teetering, past tense, past participle teetered
1. verb
Teeter is used in expressions such as teeter on the brink and teeter on the edge to emphasize that something seems to be in a very unstable situation or position.
[emphasis]
Three of the hotels are in receivership, and others are teetering on the brink ofbankruptcy. [VERB + on]
His voice teetered on the edge of hysteria. [VERB + on]
...white towns teetering precariously on the edge of cliffs. [VERBon noun]
Synonyms: waver, wobble, seesaw, veer More Synonyms of teeter
2. verb
If someone or something teeters, they shake in an unsteady way, and seem to be about to lose their balance and fall over.
Hyde shifted his weight and felt himself teeter forward, beginning to overbalance. [VERB adverb/preposition]
He watched the cup teeter on the edge before it fell. [VERB adverb/preposition]
[Also VERB]
Synonyms: wobble, rock, totter, balance More Synonyms of teeter
teeter in British English
(ˈtiːtə)
verb
1.
to move or cause to move unsteadily; wobble
noun, verb
2. another word for seesaw
Word origin
C19: from Middle English titeren, related to Old Norse titra to tremble, Old High German zittarōn to shiver
teeter in American English
(ˈtitər)
verb intransitive
1.
to totter, wobble, waver, etc.
verb transitive
2.
to cause to teeter
noun
3.
teeter-totter
Word origin
dial. titter < ME titeren < ON titra, to tremble, akin to Ger zittern < redupl. of IE base *drā-, to step > trap1, trip
Examples of 'teeter' in a sentence
teeter
Europe is teetering on the brink.
The Sun (2016)
Cameras lingered, producers chopped onions and the whole thing teetered on the brink of exploitation.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Miles Teller is teetering on the edge of greatness.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In fact, it was teetering on the edge of a financial precipice.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The residents of eastern Aleppo endured another day of fear and uncertainty yesterday after a fragile evacuation deal teetered on the brink of collapse.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
At that moment, the Europe team teetered on the brink of oblivion.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The real threat is to the country's already overstretched banks, some of which are teetering on the brink of collapse.
The Sun (2016)
She had to sell her flat and constantly teetered on the edge of bankruptcy.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It is a mess of epic proportions for a team already teetering on the edge.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He is teetering on the edge of disaster and he has to pull back.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Another former darling of the fleetingly fashionable green technology industry teetered on the edge of collapse yesterday.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The whole enterprise teetered on the brink of patronising.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The careers of three ministers are teetering on the brink after a series of gaffes though.
The Sun (2006)
All sport thrives on rivalry that teeters on the brink of animosity.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The investment puts it in a strong position to take over the business as it teeters on the brink.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We drove underneath one that teetered in the balance, but soon abandoned the car.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Recently cooking and style have teetered on the edge of burlesque (waiters in white gloves?
Jepson, Tim Umbria - the green heart of Italy (1989)
So why did his ideology lead to such suffering and a world that teetered on the brink of Armageddon?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The economy, ransacked by successive leaders, now teetered on the brink of collapse.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Many experts had warned for years that New Orleans was teetering on the brink of catastrophe.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Perhaps that is going a bit far; indeed, this book sometimes teeters on the brink of hagiography.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
They came to me recently, teetering on the brink of burnout, wondering if the price they had paid for success was too steep.
Christianity Today (2000)
And the billionaire Russian looked a picture of misery slumped into his executive seat with Blues teetering on the brink of yet another damaging loss.
The Sun (2016)
In other languages
teeter
British English: teeter VERB
Teeter is used to emphasize that something seems to be in a very unstable situation or position.
The hotel is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
American English: teeter
Brazilian Portuguese: balançar-se
Chinese: 岌岌可危
European Spanish: tambalearse
French: être au bord de
German: schwanken
Italian: vacillare
Japanese: 動揺する
Korean: ~의 위기에 처하다
European Portuguese: balançar-se
Latin American Spanish: tambalearse
1 (verb)
Definition
to wobble or move unsteadily
He watched the cup teeter on the edge before it fell.
Synonyms
wobble
rock
His body rocked from side to side.
totter
The balconies begin to tremble and totter in the smoke and fumes.
balance
stagger
He was staggering and had to lean on the bar.
sway
tremble
He began to tremble all over.
waver
The shadows of the dancers wavered on the wall.
pivot
seesaw
2 (verb)
They are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
Synonyms
waver
Some military commanders wavered over whether to support the coup.
wobble
The ladder wobbled on the uneven ground.
seesaw
The stock-market see-sawed up and down.
veer
Additional synonyms
in the sense of rock
His body rocked from side to side.
Synonyms
sway,
pitch,
swing,
reel,
toss,
lurch,
wobble,
roll
in the sense of seesaw
Definition
to move up and down or back and forth alternately
The stock-market see-sawed up and down.
Synonyms
alternate,
swing,
fluctuate,
teeter,
oscillate,
go from one extreme to the other
in the sense of stagger
Definition
to walk unsteadily
He was staggering and had to lean on the bar.
Synonyms
totter,
reel,
sway,
falter,
lurch,
wobble,
waver,
teeter
Synonyms of 'teeter'
teeter
Explore 'teeter' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of totter
Definition
to sway or shake as if about to fall
The balconies begin to tremble and totter in the smoke and fumes.