1
as in to lurch
to move forward while swaying from side to side
I was so tired last night that I just staggered upstairs to bed without eating dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to falter
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
a daunting problem that would make even the most decisive person stagger just a bit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stagger
Volunteer Devon Douglas emerged from a pit of rubble that had once been the living room, staggering under the weight of a concrete slab more than a foot wide.
—
Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2025
Prosecutors showed several minutes of video footage showing Baird staggering into the Circle K, bleeding heavily, collapsing to the floor, briefly regaining his footing and then collapsing again.
—Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
Payments are staggered based on recipients’ birthdays, with those born in the first 10 days of a month receiving their checks on the second Wednesday, and so on.
—Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
And 20 of the 40 seats in the California State Senate (which has four-year terms) will also be contested, as Senate seats are staggered with half up for election every two years.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stagger
Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2025
Prosecutors showed several minutes of video footage showing Baird staggering into the Circle K, bleeding heavily, collapsing to the floor, briefly regaining his footing and then collapsing again.
—Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
Payments are staggered based on recipients’ birthdays, with those born in the first 10 days of a month receiving their checks on the second Wednesday, and so on.
—Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
And 20 of the 40 seats in the California State Senate (which has four-year terms) will also be contested, as Senate seats are staggered with half up for election every two years.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stagger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stagger
Verb
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My stomach dropped as my seat lurched backwards, pointing me towards the shoreline.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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As the war lurched into its fourth year, Russian losses of tanks, fighting vehicles and other heavy equipment had exceeded 20,000, according to the analysts at the Oryx intelligence collective, which confirms each loss with imagery from the front line.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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If the book falters, the production numbers – some based on famous Marilyn images and tropes, like the Seven Year Itch‘s subway grate scene, and the Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend bit – are suitably flashy.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
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Over that lengthy span, the set has rarely faltered.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Through a popular uprising and a long and hideous civil war, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime tottered at times, but held on, propped up by allies Russia and Iran.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2025
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Buruma has much to say about the shifting sands of loyalties as the Nazi and Japanese empires collapsed and the dominions of the old European imperialist powers tottered.—
Max Hastings,
Foreign Affairs,
15 Oct. 2013
Verb
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This creates bottlenecks, where employees hesitate to act without approval.—
Carlos Hoyos,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Inside Space Force: Here's What the New Agency Does To be sure, some countries may hesitate to align civilian space activities with a military alliance.—
Andrew Hanna,
Time,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Sherrod opened the scoring with a 65-yard touchdown, weaving through the defense before breaking into the open backfield.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Apr. 2025
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Emotive, enchanting and exotic, the track weaves kalimba and chanting vocals with soft, brooding piano and string parts — and even a subtle harp.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Woman Makes 'Creepy' Find In Thrift Store By Alice Gibbs Senior Life and Trends Reporter Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member news article 0 A thrift store shopper from Scotland stumbled on something unexpected in her local store when a beautiful glass paperweight caught her eye.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
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Contractors renovating a historic home in Belgium stumbled upon the entrance to a secret tunnel identified by archaeologists as an escape route from World War I.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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To add to the pain, the U.S. Federal Reserve, which is a major owner of MBS, is currently letting the MBS roll off of its own portfolio, as part of an effort to shrink its balance sheet.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
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The most effective technique for me was accompanying my breath with visualization, such as picturing waves rolling onto shore.—
Michelle Stansbury,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Pretty much everything else is shuffled off to the infotainment system, a single circular touchscreen that lives in the middle of the dash.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
10 Apr. 2025
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While events were shuffled around to fit a new schedule, the royals will also be about to pace themselves following the monarch's recent health setback.—
Stephanie Petit,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stagger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stagger. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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