tottering

American

[tot-er-ing] / ˈtɒt ər ɪŋ /

adjective

walking unsteadily or shakily.
lacking security or stability; threatening to collapse; precarious.

a tottering empire.

Other Word Forms

totteringly adverb
untottering adjective

Etymology

Origin of tottering

totter + -ing ²

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.

It is also another blow to the tottering system of international law.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

This is a comic epic of bursting balloons and black eyes, tipsy aunts and tottering uncles, an errant mouse and driving snows.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

But just as the left-hander was getting going, Starc pounced again, trapping him lbw for 21 to leave England tottering on 33-2.

From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025

The beauty, the lusciousness, the humor and playfulness, the nuance are all here ... the movement of the heron in flight, of fish in the water, the tottering old aunties.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2023

Cousin Eunice replaced her glasses and pushed herself up from the table, tottering a little in her high heels.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023