Meaning
4 senses(intransitive)To tilt back and forth on an edge.
He teetered on the brink of the precipice.
schwanken, wankeln, sich winden
кача́тьсяkačátʹsja, колеба́тьсяkolebátʹsja
(intransitive)To totter (move unsteadily).
move unsteadily, with a rocking motion
(figuratively)To be indecisive; to hesitate.
We teetered on the fence about buying getaway tickets and missed the opportunity.
(figuratively)To be close to becoming a typically negative situation.
Despite appearances, the firm was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
Examples
7 sentencesTom and Mary were playing on the teeter-totter.
ruТом и Мэри качались на качелях.
The book teetered on the edge of the table.
Because of his maladministration, his company was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
What we are seeing now is a country teetering on the brink of civil war.
deWas wir jetzt sehen, ist ein Land, welches am Rande eines Bürgerkriegs entlangtaumelt.
Many small businesses with limited cash reserves are teetering on the edge of financial ruin.
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
Alteration of titter.Alteration of titter.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
teeters, teetering, teetered, teeteredSynonyms
2 synonymsWord family
6 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle