teetered

Swayed before falling

Teetered is the past tense of teeter, meaning to wobble unsteadily or sway as if about to fall.

A child teeters on the edge of a diving board; a vase teeters on a shelf before crashing.

Figuratively, things teeter on the brink of collapse or change: The company teetered on the edge of bankruptcy.

The word suggests precarious balance, imminent tipping.

movement

swayed

Moved or persuaded

rockedMoved rhythmically back and forth
wobbledMoved with instability
totteredWalked with instability

staggered · lurched · reeled · stumbled · pitched · rolled · oscillated · seesawed · bobbed · careened

balance

wobbled

Moved with instability

totteredWalked with instability
swayedMoved or persuaded
rockedMoved rhythmically back and forth

wavered · tilted · tipped · seesawed · balanced · poised · perched · pivoted · shifted · listed

uncertain

hesitated

Paused from uncertainty

waveredShowed unsteady resolve
vacillatedChanged mind repeatedly
falteredLost momentum or confidence

dithered · equivocated · undecided · indecisive · ambivalent · doubtful · tentative · unsure · irresolute · noncommittal

precarious

brink

Critical boundary point

edgeBoundary or sharpness
vergeBorder or cusp
precipiceSteep rock face

unstable · perilous · risky · dangerous · hazardous · shaky · insecure · vulnerable · fragile · treacherous

Opposites

physical stability

teeteredstabilized

Made steady or constant

steadied · balanced · planted · anchored · grounded

decisiveness/commitment

teeteredcommitted

Firmly pledged or bound

decided · resolved · settled · determined · persevered

Phrases

teeter totterPivoting playground board

Family

teeter, teetering, teeter-totter, teeters, teeterboard

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G