totterer

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

tot•ter /ˈtɑtɚ/   v. [no object]

1. to walk or go with clumsy, hesitant, or unsteady steps:
   After the blow to the head he tottered and fell.
2. to sway or rock, as if about to fall:
   During the earthquake the building tottered, then crashed to the ground.

n. [countable]

3. the act of tottering;
   an unsteady way of walking.

tot•ter•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

tot•ter  (tot′ər), v.i. 

1. to walk or go with faltering steps, as if from extreme weakness.
2. to sway or rock on the base or ground, as if about to fall:
   The tower seemed to totter in the wind. The government was tottering.
3. to shake or tremble:
   a load that tottered.

n. 

4. the act of tottering;
   an unsteady movement or gait.

• ?
• Middle English toteren to swing 1150–1200

tot ′ter•er, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. See stagger.
• 2. waver.
• 3. oscillate, quiver.