MEANING
To sway as if about to fall, or remain close to a dangerous change.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- teeter on the brink
- teeter on a ledge
On the page
The stack of folders teetered on the edge of the desk.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- teeter
- Past tense
- teetered
- Past participle
- teetered
- Present participle
- teetering
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- teeter
- Present continuous
- am/is/are teetering
- Present perfect
- have/has teetered
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been teetering
- Past
- teetered
- Past continuous
- was/were teetering
- Past perfect
- had teetered
- Past perfect continuous
- had been teetering
- Future
- will teeter
- Future continuous
- will be teetering
- Future perfect
- will have teetered
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been teetering
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: teeter; teeters; teetered; teetered; teetering Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: teeters.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.