Teeter

Teeter
Teeter Tee"ter, v. i. & t. [imp. & p. p. {Teetered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Teetering}.] [Prov. E. titter to tremble, to seesaw; cf. Icel. titra to tremble, OHG. zittar[=o]n, G. zittern.] To move up and down on the ends of a balanced plank, or the like, as children do for sport; to seesaw; to titter; to titter-totter. [U. S.] [1913 Webster]

[The bobolink] alit upon the flower, and teetered up and down. --H. W. Beecher. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • teeter — [tēt′ər] vi. [dial. titter < ME titeren < ON titra, to tremble, akin to Ger zittern < redupl. of IE base * drā , to step > TRAP1, TRIP] to totter, wobble, waver, etc. vt. to cause to teeter n. short for TEETER TOTTER …   English World dictionary

  • teeter — (v.) 1843, to seesaw, alteration of M.E. titter move unsteadily, probably from O.N. titra to shake, shiver, totter, related to Ger. zittern to tremble. Noun teeter totter see saw is attested from 1905 …   Etymology dictionary

  • teeter — [v] wobble back and forth balance, dangle, falter, flutter, lurch, pivot, quiver, reel, rock, seesaw, stagger, stammer, stumble, sway, teeter totter*, topple, totter, tremble, tremble precariously, waver, weave, wiggle; concept 145 Ant. stabilize …   New thesaurus

  • teeter — index beat (pulsate) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • teeter — vb *shake, tremble, quake, totter, quiver, shiver, shudder, quaver, wobble, shimmy, dither …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • teeter — ► VERB 1) move or balance unsteadily. 2) waver between different courses. ORIGIN Old Norse, shake, shiver …   English terms dictionary

  • teeter — [[t]ti͟ːtə(r)[/t]] teeters, teetering, teetered 1) VERB (emphasis) Teeter is used in expressions such as teeter on the brink and teeter on the edge to emphasize that something seems to be in a very unstable situation or position. [V on n] Three… …   English dictionary

  • teeter — Synonyms and related words: Lissajous figure, alternate, alternation, back and fill, back and forth, balance, battledore and shuttlecock, change, come and go, coming and going, cower, dither, dodder, ebb and flow, equivocate, falter, flounder,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • teeter — UK [ˈtiːtə(r)] / US [ˈtɪtər] verb [intransitive] Word forms teeter : present tense I/you/we/they teeter he/she/it teeters present participle teetering past tense teetered past participle teetered to stand or move in a way that is not steady and… …   English dictionary

  • teeter — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) v. i. seesaw, rock, sway, totter, tremble; hesitate, vacillate. See oscillation, doubt. II (Roget s IV) v. Syn. tremble precariously, seesaw, totter, wobble, sway, waver, dangle, reel, stagger, quiver,… …   English dictionary for students

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