totter

views updated

tot·ter / ˈtätər/ • v. [intr.] move in a feeble or unsteady way: a hunched figure tottering down the path. ∎  [usu. as adj.] (tottering) (of a building) shake or rock as if about to collapse: tottering, gutted houses. ∎ fig. be insecure or about to collapse: the pharmaceutical industry has tottered from crisis to crisis.• n. [in sing.] a feeble or unsteady gait.DERIVATIVES: tot·ter·er n.tot·ter·y adj.

More From encyclopedia.com