falter
1 of 2verb
fal·ter ˈfȯl-tər 
faltered; faltering ˈfȯl-t(ə-)riŋ
intransitive verb
1
a
: to walk unsteadily : stumble
the … stranger falters out of the thicket and drops to his knees
Dudley Fitts
Dudley Fitts b
: to give way : totter
could feel my legs faltering
c
: to move waveringly or hesitatingly
forced to bail out of faltering airplanes over the Alps Nat'l Geographic
Nat'l Geographic2
: to speak brokenly or weakly : stammer
her voice faltered
3
a
: to hesitate in purpose or action : waver
he never faltered in his determination
b
: to lose drive or effectiveness
the business was faltering
transitive verb
: to utter hesitatingly or brokenly
faltered an excuse
falterer
ˈfȯl-tər-ər
noun falteringly
ˈfȯl-t(ə-)riŋ-lē
adverb falter
2 of 2noun
: an act or instance of faltering
Synonyms
Verb
- balance
- dither
- halt
- hang back
- hesitate
- scruple
- shilly-shally
- stagger
- teeter
- vacillate
- waver
- wobble
- wabble
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb The business was faltering due to poor management. Their initial optimism has faltered. signs that the economy is faltering Her steps began to falter.
Recent Examples on the Web Tristan Bove, Fortune, 5 July 2022 Without the traders, companies like Microsoft and P&G would falter, or at least would need to make profit-sapping investments to source these raw materials on their own. Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2022 But the plan began to falter Thursday morning, as residents attended the first of what may be several community hearings to come. al, 1 July 2022 The only time Parker got critical is when the shows began to falter with drugs or erratic behavior on stage. Chris Willman, Variety, 25 June 2022 Conversely, there is a lot at stake for the international community if negotiations continue to falter. Mostafa Salem, CNN, 10 Aug. 2022 This presents certain challenges: when a sound cannot be described by its referent, language starts to falter. Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 27 June 2022 If your form starts to falter, stop, reset, then try again. Shauna Harrison, SELF, 14 June 2022 In fact, data shows that 18% of businesses fail after the first year, and almost 50% of businesses falter after 10 years. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 Justin Worland, Time, 15 Sep. 2022 And, when stock markets falter, gold has been sought in the past as a haven, pushing the price of gold up whilst all other prices fall. The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Aug. 2022 Highs may only reach the upper 70s unless showers falter. David Streit, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2022 That’s causing some big companies, including Walmart and Best Buy, to warn investors that sales are beginning to falter. Nitasha Tiku, Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2022 Rolex only works with winners—even, or especially, when those winners (think Tiger Woods) falter in their careers. Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 4 Aug. 2022 At the same time, Trump has seen some of his endorsed primary candidates falter. Jill Colvin, BostonGlobe.com, 9 July 2022 However, all five of these apps, chosen for their outsize popularity, falter when compared with more secure options like Euki and Drip, as corroborated by Consumer Reports. Wired, 21 July 2022 Airline staff are demanding higher pay and better working conditions, with some cabin crew and pilots going on strike as negotiations falter. Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 20 July 2022 See More
Verb
But if no solution to the ongoing wage dispute in Norway is found, one of Europe’s last stable suppliers could begin to falter, further tightening a historic energy market squeeze on the continent. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 5 July 2022 Without the traders, companies like Microsoft and P&G would falter, or at least would need to make profit-sapping investments to source these raw materials on their own. Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2022 But the plan began to falter Thursday morning, as residents attended the first of what may be several community hearings to come. al, 1 July 2022 The only time Parker got critical is when the shows began to falter with drugs or erratic behavior on stage. Chris Willman, Variety, 25 June 2022 Conversely, there is a lot at stake for the international community if negotiations continue to falter. Mostafa Salem, CNN, 10 Aug. 2022 This presents certain challenges: when a sound cannot be described by its referent, language starts to falter. Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 27 June 2022 If your form starts to falter, stop, reset, then try again. Shauna Harrison, SELF, 14 June 2022 In fact, data shows that 18% of businesses fail after the first year, and almost 50% of businesses falter after 10 years. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 Noun
Abroad, countries committed to reduce emissions only to watch their collective efforts falter. Justin Worland, Time, 15 Sep. 2022 And, when stock markets falter, gold has been sought in the past as a haven, pushing the price of gold up whilst all other prices fall. The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Aug. 2022 Highs may only reach the upper 70s unless showers falter. David Streit, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2022 That’s causing some big companies, including Walmart and Best Buy, to warn investors that sales are beginning to falter. Nitasha Tiku, Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2022 Rolex only works with winners—even, or especially, when those winners (think Tiger Woods) falter in their careers. Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 4 Aug. 2022 At the same time, Trump has seen some of his endorsed primary candidates falter. Jill Colvin, BostonGlobe.com, 9 July 2022 However, all five of these apps, chosen for their outsize popularity, falter when compared with more secure options like Euki and Drip, as corroborated by Consumer Reports. Wired, 21 July 2022 Airline staff are demanding higher pay and better working conditions, with some cabin crew and pilots going on strike as negotiations falter. Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 20 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
Middle English
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a
Noun
1834, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
falter
verb
fal·ter ˈfȯl-tər
faltered; faltering
1
: to move unsteadily : waver
2
: to hesitate in speech
3
: to hesitate in purpose or action
falter
verb
1
as in to hesitate
to show uncertainty about the right course of action William Lloyd Garrison never once faltered in his demand that slavery be unconditionally abolished Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- hesitate
- waver
- vacillate
- halt
- stagger
- wait
- debate
- hang back
- pause
- scruple
- dither
- wobble
- balance
- teeter
- wabble
- sway
- linger
- delay
- shilly-shally
- haw
- ponder
- procrastinate
- dawdle
- deliberate
- back down
- weigh
- oscillate
- equivocate
- hem
- consider
- dally
- hedge
- waffle
- pussyfoot
- chicken (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- continue
- decide
- stir
- dive (in)
- plunge (in)
- advance
- budge
2
as in to tremble
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side the cut tree seemed to falter for a moment before crashing to the ground Synonyms & Similar Words
- tremble
- wobble
- waver
- shake
- shudder
- totter
- lurch
- rock
- wabble
- vibrate
- stumble
- teeter
- flounder
- quiver
- toddle
- stagger
- quaver
- quake
- reel
- careen
- weave
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of falter are hesitate, vacillate, and waver. While all these words mean "to show irresolution or uncertainty," falter implies a wavering or stumbling and often connotes nervousness, lack of courage, or outright fear.
never once faltered during her testimony
The words hesitate and falter can be used in similar contexts, but hesitate implies a pause before deciding or acting or choosing.
hesitated before answering the question
The synonyms vacillate and falter are sometimes interchangeable, but vacillate implies prolonged hesitation from inability to reach a firm decision.
vacillated until events were out of control
In some situations, the words waver and falter are roughly equivalent. However, waver implies hesitation after seeming to decide and so connotes weakness or a retreat.
wavered in his support of the rebels