Meaning & use
tottered
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“tottered” is a form of “totter”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Walked or moved in an unsteady, wobbly way, as if about to fall, often because of weakness, age or drink.
Grammar: No object; often followed by a direction word: tottered across the room.
Patterns
- totter across something
- totter along
- totter to something
- totter on something
The toddler tottered across the room toward her father.
After the long hike, he tottered into the cabin and collapsed.
She tottered down the cobbled street in high heels.
verbintransitivefigurative
Was close to failing, collapsing or losing power, as an institution, business or regime.
Grammar: No object; often with on the edge of or on the brink of: tottered on the edge of collapse.
Patterns
- totter on the brink of something
- totter on the edge of something
The old regime tottered for months before it finally fell.
The small company tottered on the edge of bankruptcy.
Bank shares tottered as rumors spread.
Word forms
| third person singular | totters |
|---|---|
| past tense | tottered |
| past participle | tottered |
| -ing form | tottering |
Common combinations
- tottered along
- The old man tottered along the path with his cane.
- tottered across
- The baby tottered across the carpet.
- tottered on the brink
- The company tottered on the brink of ruin.
- tottered to his feet
- He tottered to his feet and tried to speak.
- tottered out of
- She tottered out of the bar after midnight.
Synonyms and how they differ
- staggered
- Staggered suggests more violent loss of balance, while tottered is lighter, weaker and wobblier.
- wobbled
- Wobbled can describe objects or people shaking from side to side, but tottered is mainly for someone walking unsteadily.
- teetered
- Teetered suggests balancing on an edge and about to fall, whereas tottered is about the act of unsteady walking.
- stumbled
- Stumbled implies catching a foot and nearly falling once, whereas tottered describes continued shakiness.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: tottered or teetered? tottered or tolerated?
tottered vs teetered
Teetered means balanced unsteadily on a high or narrow place; tottered means walked in a wobbly way.
tottered vs tolerated
It sounds similar but means put up with; it has nothing to do with unsteady movement.
Practice
The exhausted marathon runner ___ across the finish line before collapsing.
Choose one answer.
Tottered fits someone exhausted and unsteady. Strode, skipped and marched all suggest strong or lively movement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tottered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.