Laurie’s voice faltered as she tried to thank him.falterfal‧ter /ˈfɔːltə $ ˈfɒːltər/ verb 
The economy is showing signs of faltering. My mother’s grip upon the household never faltered.2[intransitive, transitive] to speak in a voice that sounds weak and uncertain, and keeps stopping: Laurie’s voice faltered as she tried to thank him. ‘I can’t,’ she faltered.3[intransitive] to become less certain and determined that you want to do something: We must not falter in our resolve.4[intransitive] to stop walking or to walk in an unsteady way because you suddenly feel weak or afraid: She faltered for a moment.
WORD ORIGINfalter
Origin:
1300-1400 Perhaps from a Scandinavian languageVERB TABLE
falter
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | falter |
| he, she, it | falters | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | faltered |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have faltered |
| he, she, it | has faltered | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had faltered |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will falter |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have faltered |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am faltering |
| he, she, it | is faltering | |
| you, we, they | are faltering | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was faltering |
| you, we, they | were faltering | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been faltering |
| he, she, it | has been faltering | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been faltering |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be faltering |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been faltering |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Langetta faltered as he made his way up the steps.
- Laurie's voice faltered as she tried to thank him.
- The peace talks seem to be faltering.
- We must not falter in our resolve to end the conflict.
- But I couldn't give in; one monster is much like another - once you falter, you're done.
- His salacious grin faltered then disappeared and he glared at her, furious with himself for being tricked so easily.
- If that bargain now falters, so may efforts to tighten up the inspection regime that backs up the treaty.
- If we could cut off these lines of communication, their attack would usually falter.
- Or consider that some of the nations long heralded as family planning success stories have faltered on the road to re-placement fertility.
- Sad to learn that those self-evident truths, necessary truths, faltered so badly when subjected to rigorous examination.
- Then she faltered on the threshold.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Laurie’s voice faltered as she tried to thank him.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB
1[intransitive] to become weaker and unable to continue in an effective way: Laurie’s voice faltered as she tried to thank him.· When the momentum dwindled Simpson began to falter.· Growth began to falter and inflation began to ease.· After a promising start Rajiv's administration began to falter in 1987.
The economy is showing signs of faltering. My mother’s grip upon the household never faltered.2[intransitive, transitive] to speak in a voice that sounds weak and uncertain, and keeps stopping: Laurie’s voice faltered as she tried to thank him. ‘I can’t,’ she faltered.3[intransitive] to become less certain and determined that you want to do something: We must not falter in our resolve.4[intransitive] to stop walking or to walk in an unsteady way because you suddenly feel weak or afraid: She faltered for a moment.