Meaning

(intransitive) To tilt back and forth on an edge..

Definitions by Sense

1. (intransitive) To tilt back and forth on an edge.
2. (intransitive) To totter (move unsteadily).
3. (figuratively) To be indecisive; to hesitate.
4. (figuratively) To be close to becoming a typically negative situation.
5. (Canada, US) A teeter-totter or seesaw.

Example Sentences

He teetered on the brink of the precipice.

The concrete floors of B2B sheds were already being built to an exacting degree of flatness, calibrated using lasers, so that forklifts would not teeter while lifting pallets to the highest shelves.

This is not a land of blowouts. It’s a middle ground, and that’s reflected in voter registration rolls. Nearly 2.6 million North Carolinians declare themselves unaffiliated, while just over 2.4 million identify as Democrats and just under 2.2 million as Republicans. We don’t tilt. We teeter.

How many other organizations have sprung up amidst apparently unlimited energy, been the focus of a great deal of activism and education, and then begun to diminish? Some teeter along for a long time even though their base of support seems to have eroded; some metamorphose into something else entirely. Others die, and their death may be more or less peaceful, more or less guilt-riddled.

We teetered on the fence about buying getaway tickets and missed the opportunity.

Despite appearances, the firm was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

Word Forms

• teeters
• teetering
• teetered

Synonyms for teeter

Related Words

When Should You Use Teeter?

Use teeter when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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