totterverb [ I ]
uk/ˈtɒt.ər/us/ˈtɑː.t̬ɚ/to walk with difficulty in a way that looks as if you are about to fall:
She tottered unsteadily down the stairs in her high-heeled shoes.
Compare
stagger verb
teeter
to shake and move from side to side:
Several tall piles of books tottered and fell.
(of a company, government, etc.) to become weaker and less likely to carry on existing:
The industry has tottered from crisis to crisis now for two years.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Moving unsteadily or with difficulty
- blunder
- bumble
- doddery
- falter
- galumphing
- limp
- lollop
- lumber
- lurch
- reel
- schlep
- shamble
- shuffle
- squeeze
- stagger
- stumble
- toddle
- toil
- trip (sb) up
- waddle
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Shaking, swinging and vibrating
Becoming and making less strong
tottering
adjective uk/ˈtɒt.ər.ɪŋ/us/ˈtɑː.t̬ɚ.ɪŋ/
She walked slowly with tottering steps.
It was the last decision of a tottering government.
tottery
adjective uk/ˈtɒt.ər.i/us/ˈtɑː.t̬ɚ.i/
a tottery old man