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: waver

3. to shake or tremble:

   a load that tottered.

   Synonyms: quiver, oscillate

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

/ ˈtɒtə /

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

noun

1. the act or an instance of tottering

Derived Forms

• ˈtotteringly, adverb
• ˈtotterer, noun
• ˈtottery, adjective
• ˈtottering, adjective

Other Words From

• tot·ter·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of totter¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of totter¹

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

Synonym Study

See stagger.

Example Sentences

Sun, moon, grizzly, black, spectacled, sloth: Bears all over the world can stand, shuffle, totter and walk on two legs, though they usually prefer four.

From New York Times

Because as I totter into antiquity, to borrow the words of Peter O’Toole, winner of an honorary Oscar that year, I find I’ve come to cherish the parts of the ceremony that are now distinctly out of fashion.

From Los Angeles Times

She's also a plucky, as one would expect of a woman who can barely totter across the room in heels but can musically let you know her name is spelled "with two Ns, one Y, but it's not where you th-i-i-i-i-i-iink!"

From Salon

Mr Mohamed, from Poole, was working as a "totter", sorting waste by hand at the yard in Mannings Heath Road, the court heard.

From BBC

The children totter off into the neighborhood, forget what they’re supposed to be doing, burst into tears, and ultimately make their way back to Mom and Dad laden with plastic shopping bags, having succeeded in their mission.

From Slate

Related Words

• careen
• lurch
• teeter
• wobble