tottering

UK: /ˈtɒtərɪŋ/ US: (tot′ər ing)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

tot•ter•ing  (tot′ər ing), adj. 

1. walking unsteadily or shakily.
2. lacking security or stability;
   threatening to collapse;
   precarious:
   a tottering empire.

• totter + -ing²

tot ′ter•ing•ly, adv. 

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.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

totter / ˈtɒtə/ verb (intransitive)

1. to walk or move in an unsteady manner, as from old age
2. to sway or shake as if about to fall
3. to be failing, unstable, or precarious

noun

1. the act or an instance of tottering

Etymology: 12th Century: perhaps from Old English tealtrian to waver, and Middle Dutch touteren to stagger

ˈtotterer noun

ˈtottering adjective

ˈtotteringly adverb

ˈtottery adjective