What does "stagger" mean?
An unsteady movement of the body in walking or standing as if one were about to fall; a reeling motion.
Stagger
/ˈstæɡə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An unsteady movement of the body in walking or standing as if one were about to fall; a reeling motion.
- Grammar: stagger is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: lurch, affright, agitate, alarm.
- Useful contrasts: align, balance, calm.
- Usage evidence: The company is attempting to stagger work hours.
How to use "stagger"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stagger" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stagger" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stagger" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stagger" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "stagger" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "lurch" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "stagger", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An unsteady movement of the body in walking or standing as if one were about to fall; a reeling motion.
"7 October 2012, Paolo Bandini in The Guardian, Denver Broncos 21 New England Patriots 31 - as it happened Put down the rosary beads folks, I believe hell may just have frozen over. Peyton Manning drops back, sees nothing open and runs for a first down. If you can call that running. More like the stagger of a wounded rhino. Did the job, though"
- 2 One who attends a stag night. UK
"Tallinn no longer takes pride in the title of 'favourite destination of British staggers'."
- 3 an unsteady uneven gait wordnet
- 4 A disease of horses and other animals, attended by reeling, unsteady gait or sudden falling.
"parasitic staggers"
- 5 Bewilderment; perplexity.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 The spacing out of various actions over time.
"19 April 2016, Rachel Roddy in The Guardian, Rachel Roddy’s Roman spring vegetable stew recipe I don’t include cured pork, although it is very nice, and rather than putting everything in the pan at once I prefer a stagger of ingredients, which ensures each one gets the right amount of time."
- 7 The difference in circumference between the left and right tires on a racing vehicle. It is used on oval tracks to make the car turn better in the corners.
- 8 The horizontal positioning of a biplane, triplane, or multiplane's wings in relation to one another.
Verb
- 1 To sway unsteadily, reel, or totter.; In standing or walking, to sway from one side to the other as if about to fall; to stand or walk unsteadily; to reel or totter. intransitive
"She began to stagger across the room."
- 2 to arrange in a systematic order wordnet
- 3 To sway unsteadily, reel, or totter.; To cause to reel or totter. transitive
"The powerful blow of his opponent's fist staggered the boxer."
- 4 astound or overwhelm, as with shock wordnet
- 5 To sway unsteadily, reel, or totter.; To cease to stand firm; to begin to give way; to fail. intransitive
"1708, Joseph Addison, The Present State of the War, and the Necessity of an Augmentation"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 walk as if unable to control one's movements wordnet
- 7 Doubt, waver, be shocked.; To begin to doubt and waver in purposes; to become less confident or determined; to hesitate. intransitive
"He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief."
- 8 walk with great difficulty wordnet
- 9 Doubt, waver, be shocked.; To cause to doubt and waver; to make to hesitate; to make less steady or confident; to shock. transitive
"He will stagger the committee when he presents his report."
- 10 Have multiple groups doing the same thing in a uniform fashion, but starting at different, evenly spaced, times or places (attested from 1856).; To arrange (a series of parts) on each side of a median line alternately, as the spokes of a wheel or the rivets of a boiler seam. transitive
- 11 Have multiple groups doing the same thing in a uniform fashion, but starting at different, evenly spaced, times or places (attested from 1856).; To arrange similar objects such that each is ahead or above and to one side of the next. transitive
"We will stagger the starting positions for the race on the oval track."
- 12 Have multiple groups doing the same thing in a uniform fashion, but starting at different, evenly spaced, times or places (attested from 1856).; To schedule in intervals or at different times. transitive
"We will stagger the run so the faster runners can go first, then the joggers."
Antonyms
Example
"The company is attempting to stagger work hours."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stagger"?
Common synonyms include: lurch, affright, agitate, alarm, alternate, amaze.
How do you use "stagger" in a sentence?
The company is attempting to stagger work hours.
How do you pronounce "stagger"?
Pronounced /ˈstæɡə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English stakeren, from Old Norse stakra (“to push, stagger”). Cognate with dialectal Danish stagre.
Etymology 2
From stag + -er.