teeter
1 of 2verb
tee·ter ˈtē-tər 
teetered; teetering; teeters
intransitive verb
1
a
: to move unsteadily : wobble
b
: waver, vacillate
teetered on the brink of bankruptcy
2
: seesaw
teeter
2 of 2noun
: seesaw sense 2b
Synonyms
Verb
- falter
- rock
- totter
- waver
- wobble
- wabble
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb The pile of books teetered and fell to the floor. She teetered down the street in her high heels.
Recent Examples on the Web
Colin Darretta, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 The housing market continues to teeter with new data today showing a slow down in residential construction as many home builders expect rising mortgage rates to hurt demand for new homes, which could slow the rise of housing prices nationwide. David Westenhaver, Forbes, 16 June 2022 Draghi’s government began to teeter last week when one of the parties in the coalition, led by the prime minister Draghi had replaced, withheld its support on a key relief bill for rising energy costs. Jason Horowitz, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2022 She is caught in a moment of transition on a bridge that appears to teeter in the bright sunlight like an unbalanced scale. Helen A. Cooper, WSJ, 10 June 2022 Rondinaia is Italian for swallow’s nest, an ideal name for a house that appears to teeter on a cliff’s edge. Christopher Bollen, Town & Country, 8 June 2022 Back then, coronavirus seemed to teeter on the brink of defeat as cases plummeted to their lowest levels since spring 2020 and vaccines became widely available for adults. Fenit Nirappil, Craig Pittman And Maureen O'hagan, Anchorage Daily News, 28 May 2022 Back then, coronavirus seemed to teeter on the brink of defeat as cases plummeted to their lowest levels since spring 2020 and vaccines became widely available for adults. BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2022 Yet some of the film’s most ambitious set pieces teeter over into outright kitsch, not least via a couple of original songs that articulate the twins’ emotions all too literally. Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 May 2022 Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 27 July 2022 If the eastern brigades teeter, Kyiv might have no choice but to strip forces from the southern front in order to reinforce Donbas. David Axe, Forbes, 15 June 2022 The Vikings’ lead teeter-tottered around 20 points midway through the second half before the Panthers would cut in late. Robert Fenbers, cleveland, 6 Feb. 2022 Both have the same way of walking—a bit of a teeter, without much swinging of arms. Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 21 Apr. 2022 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 That’s especially true as the value of Russia’s currency plummets and its largest banks teeter. Ian Bremmer, Time, 28 Feb. 2022 Taken by itself, Kat's (Julia Stiles) poem about Patrick (Heath Ledger) is almost saccharine, an edge some rom-com speeches teeter. CNN, 14 Feb. 2022 See More
Verb
The longer the markets teeter, the more firms will be compelled to more actively start investing again. Colin Darretta, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 The housing market continues to teeter with new data today showing a slow down in residential construction as many home builders expect rising mortgage rates to hurt demand for new homes, which could slow the rise of housing prices nationwide. David Westenhaver, Forbes, 16 June 2022 Draghi’s government began to teeter last week when one of the parties in the coalition, led by the prime minister Draghi had replaced, withheld its support on a key relief bill for rising energy costs. Jason Horowitz, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2022 She is caught in a moment of transition on a bridge that appears to teeter in the bright sunlight like an unbalanced scale. Helen A. Cooper, WSJ, 10 June 2022 Rondinaia is Italian for swallow’s nest, an ideal name for a house that appears to teeter on a cliff’s edge. Christopher Bollen, Town & Country, 8 June 2022 Back then, coronavirus seemed to teeter on the brink of defeat as cases plummeted to their lowest levels since spring 2020 and vaccines became widely available for adults. Fenit Nirappil, Craig Pittman And Maureen O'hagan, Anchorage Daily News, 28 May 2022 Back then, coronavirus seemed to teeter on the brink of defeat as cases plummeted to their lowest levels since spring 2020 and vaccines became widely available for adults. BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2022 Yet some of the film’s most ambitious set pieces teeter over into outright kitsch, not least via a couple of original songs that articulate the twins’ emotions all too literally. Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 May 2022 Noun
The act ended with one member donning a blindfold while getting launched off the teeter totter and through a flaming hoop. Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 27 July 2022 If the eastern brigades teeter, Kyiv might have no choice but to strip forces from the southern front in order to reinforce Donbas. David Axe, Forbes, 15 June 2022 The Vikings’ lead teeter-tottered around 20 points midway through the second half before the Panthers would cut in late. Robert Fenbers, cleveland, 6 Feb. 2022 Both have the same way of walking—a bit of a teeter, without much swinging of arms. Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 21 Apr. 2022 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 That’s especially true as the value of Russia’s currency plummets and its largest banks teeter. Ian Bremmer, Time, 28 Feb. 2022 Taken by itself, Kat's (Julia Stiles) poem about Patrick (Heath Ledger) is almost saccharine, an edge some rom-com speeches teeter. CNN, 14 Feb. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English titeren to totter, reel; akin to Old High German zittarōn to shiver
First Known Use
Verb
1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
1860, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing teeter
Kids Definition
teeter
verb
tee·ter ˈtē-tər
teetered; teetering
: to move unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
Ramona mounted the bicycle and … teetered and wobbled to the corner without falling off. Beverly Cleary, Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Beverly Cleary, Ramona Quimby, Age 8teeter
verb
1
as in to falter
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side he nervously teetered at the edge of the pool before finally diving in Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- falter
- wobble
- totter
- rock
- tremble
- shake
- waver
- wabble
- shudder
- lurch
- vibrate
- toddle
- quiver
- flounder
- stumble
- stagger
- careen
- quaver
- quake
- reel
- weave
2
as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side the toddler teetered down the rink in her new ice skates Synonyms & Similar Words
- stagger
- lurch
- totter
- waddle
- careen
- weave
- reel
- stomp
- roll
- shuffle
- stumble
- rock
- dodder
- sway
- waver
- wobble
- seesaw
- clomp
- wabble
- shamble
- barge
- swag
- flounder
- clump
- stamp
- tramp
- pound
- lumber
- scuff
- galumph
- lump
- blunder
- scuffle
- tromp
3
as in to hesitate
to show uncertainty about the right course of action was teetering on the brink of making a decision about college Synonyms & Similar Words
- falter
- hesitate
- vacillate
- waver
- stagger
- balance
- wobble
- halt
- wabble
- dither
- hang back
- debate
- wait
- scruple
- sway
- linger
- pause
- haw
- oscillate
- ponder
- weigh
- hem
- back down
- dawdle
- shilly-shally
- procrastinate
- delay
- deliberate
- hedge
- dally
- waffle
- equivocate
- consider
- pussyfoot
- chicken (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- continue
- decide
- plunge (in)
- stir
- budge
- dive (in)
- advance