totter
1 of 2verb
tot·ter ˈtä-tər 
tottered; tottering; totters
intransitive verb
1
: to move unsteadily : stagger, wobble
2
a
: to tremble or rock as if about to fall : sway
b
: to become unstable : threaten to collapse
totter
2 of 2noun
: an unsteady gait : wobble
Synonyms
Verb
- careen
- dodder
- lurch
- reel
- stagger
- teeter
- waddle
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb The child tottered across the room. He tottered away to bed.
Recent Examples on the Web
WSJ, 23 Aug. 2022 There is a tortuous pleasure in watching the book totter under the weight of its contradictions. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2022 But as the regime seemed to totter, its president turned to its old patron, Russia. ABC News, 9 Jan. 2022 Nearby, newborn lambs totter around in their pen, and working dogs relax in cages on the beds of old pickup trucks. Antonia Hitchens, Town & Country, 29 Aug. 2021 Good talent comes and goes, the Blue Jackets totter on, and the Tortorella method never changes. Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Feb. 2021 Ubers didn’t pull up to the Kirkwood bars to pick up girls tottering on high heels. Christine Fernando, Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2020 Someone posts a video of their infant tottering around to music from a favorite toy; someone else replies with a seven-second loop of Theresa May, the former British prime minster, dancing jerkily during a state visit to Nairobi. Laurence Scott, Wired, 2 Mar. 2020 The real estate sector, which usually pulls the economy, has been tottering since the demonetisation of Nov. 2016. S. Gopikrishna Warrier, Quartz India, 20 Jan. 2020 New York Times, 15 May 2022 Passersby couldn’t help but spot the eight-foot long, bright yellow teeter-totter, ridden by youth of the church the weekend of March 19-20, in an effort to raise funds for local non-profit agencies. Rich Heileman, cleveland, 25 Mar. 2022 There is a seamless convergence between Atlanta’s hot-wing culture and Korea’s fried-chicken culture: an emphasis on shattering crispiness and a balance in flavors, most notably the lip-smacking teeter-totter of sour and sweet. New York Times, 12 Jan. 2022 The most stable place on a teeter-totter is in the middle. Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, 12 Jan. 2021 This effectively eliminates the very need for the teeter-totter itself. Star Tribune, 2 Oct. 2020 Kathleen Gerson, a professor of sociology at New York University who began researching work-life integration around the same time as Friedman, agrees that a work-life convergence is healthier than trying to stabilize a precarious teeter-totter. Leigh Giangreco, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2020 The survival of the teeter-totter of our democracy is very much in the balance. Star Tribune, 2 Oct. 2020 No, this episode was just a perfect encapsulation of the everyday frenetic energy with which these women sprint (and somehow simultaneously totter) through life. Jodi Walker, EW.com, 1 May 2020 See More
Verb
And if that feels like too much heel to totter around in, a classic sneaker, such as Nike’s Air Jordans, is a perfect pairing for another classic: a Dior suit. WSJ, 23 Aug. 2022 There is a tortuous pleasure in watching the book totter under the weight of its contradictions. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2022 But as the regime seemed to totter, its president turned to its old patron, Russia. ABC News, 9 Jan. 2022 Nearby, newborn lambs totter around in their pen, and working dogs relax in cages on the beds of old pickup trucks. Antonia Hitchens, Town & Country, 29 Aug. 2021 Good talent comes and goes, the Blue Jackets totter on, and the Tortorella method never changes. Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Feb. 2021 Ubers didn’t pull up to the Kirkwood bars to pick up girls tottering on high heels. Christine Fernando, Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2020 Someone posts a video of their infant tottering around to music from a favorite toy; someone else replies with a seven-second loop of Theresa May, the former British prime minster, dancing jerkily during a state visit to Nairobi. Laurence Scott, Wired, 2 Mar. 2020 The real estate sector, which usually pulls the economy, has been tottering since the demonetisation of Nov. 2016. S. Gopikrishna Warrier, Quartz India, 20 Jan. 2020 Noun
The Mets had not lost a series all season, but that streak sailed when the Seattle Mariners closed out a teeter-totter affair Sunday. New York Times, 15 May 2022 Passersby couldn’t help but spot the eight-foot long, bright yellow teeter-totter, ridden by youth of the church the weekend of March 19-20, in an effort to raise funds for local non-profit agencies. Rich Heileman, cleveland, 25 Mar. 2022 There is a seamless convergence between Atlanta’s hot-wing culture and Korea’s fried-chicken culture: an emphasis on shattering crispiness and a balance in flavors, most notably the lip-smacking teeter-totter of sour and sweet. New York Times, 12 Jan. 2022 The most stable place on a teeter-totter is in the middle. Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, 12 Jan. 2021 This effectively eliminates the very need for the teeter-totter itself. Star Tribune, 2 Oct. 2020 Kathleen Gerson, a professor of sociology at New York University who began researching work-life integration around the same time as Friedman, agrees that a work-life convergence is healthier than trying to stabilize a precarious teeter-totter. Leigh Giangreco, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2020 The survival of the teeter-totter of our democracy is very much in the balance. Star Tribune, 2 Oct. 2020 No, this episode was just a perfect encapsulation of the everyday frenetic energy with which these women sprint (and somehow simultaneously totter) through life. Jodi Walker, EW.com, 1 May 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English toteren
First Known Use
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a
Noun
1709, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing totter
Kids Definition
totter
verb
tot·ter ˈtä-tər
tottered; tottering
1
: to sway or rock as if about to fall
2
: to move unsteadily : stagger
totter
verb
1
as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side tottered around the house as she practiced walking in high heels Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- stagger
- lurch
- teeter
- waddle
- careen
- stumble
- stomp
- dodder
- weave
- shuffle
- reel
- roll
- rock
- sway
- wobble
- waver
- shamble
- clomp
- wabble
- seesaw
- tramp
- barge
- flounder
- galumph
- swag
- clump
- stamp
- pound
- blunder
- scuff
- scuffle
- lumber
- lump
- tromp
2
as in to falter
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side the figurine tottered precariously for a moment before falling off the shelf Synonyms & Similar Words
- falter
- wobble
- tremble
- teeter
- shake
- rock
- waver
- wabble
- lurch
- shudder
- toddle
- vibrate
- stumble
- stagger
- quiver
- flounder
- quake
- careen
- quaver
- reel
- weave
- every now and again
- every now and then
- every once in a while
- every other
- every penny counts
- every penny helps
- every penny helps/counts
- every second
- every so often
- every step of the way
- every time
- every tom, dick, and harry
- every walk of life
- every which way
- every-way
- everybodies
- everybody
- everybody who's anybody
- everybodyes
- everybodys
- everyday
- everydayness
- everydaynesses
- everyhow
- everyman