totter

intr.v., -tered, -ter·ing, -ters.

1. 1. To sway as if about to fall.
   2. To appear about to collapse: an empire that had begun to totter.
2. To walk unsteadily or feebly; stagger.

n.
The act or condition of tottering.

[Middle English toteren, perhaps of Scandinavian origin.]

totterer tot'ter·er n.
tottery tot'ter·y adj.

verb

1. To move back and forth or from side to side, as if about to fall: sway, teeter, vacillate, waver, weave, wobble. See repetition.
2. To walk unsteadily: falter, lurch, reel, stagger, stumble, teeter, weave, wobble. See move/halt.

IN BRIEF: Move unsteadily, as if threatening to fall.

If vanity does not overthrow all our virtues, at least she makes them totter. — François de la Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The verb has 3 meanings:

Meaning #1: move without being stable, as if threatening to fall

Meaning #2: walk unsteadily, as of small children
  Synonyms: toddle, coggle, dodder, paddle, waddle

Meaning #3: move unsteadily, with a rocking motion
  Synonyms: teeter, seesaw

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Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - vakle, stavre
n. - vaklen, stavren

Nederlands (Dutch)
wankelen

Français (French)
v. intr. - chanceler, vaciller, tituber, trébucher, (fig) chanceler
n. - démarche chancelante, vacillement

Deutsch (German)
v. - schwanken, wanken, torkeln
n. - Schwanken, Torkeln

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - παραπαίω, τρεκλίζω, κλονίζομαι
n. - ασταθές βάδισμα ή ασταθής κίνηση

Italiano (Italian)
traballare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - cambalear, vacilar
n. - cambaleio (m), vacilação (m)

Русский (Russian)
дрогнуть, трястись, шататься, ковылять, идти нетвердой походкой, разрушаться

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - tambalearse, temblar, vacilar, amenazar ruina
n. - tambaleo

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - vackla, stappla, ragla, svikta
n. - gå vingligt, osäkert

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
蹒跚, 动摇, 踉跄, 蹒跚的步子, 摇晃

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 蹣跚, 動搖, 踉蹌
n. - 蹣跚的步子, 動搖, 搖晃

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 비틀거리다, 아장아장 걷다
n. - 비틀거림, 기우뚱 거림

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - よろよろ歩く, よろめく, ぐらつく, 崩壊しそうになる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يتمايل, يترنح (الاسم) ترنح‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮פסע בחוסר-יציבות, התנדנד, התמוטט, מעד‬
n. - ‮צעידה לא יציבה‬

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teeter totter