Teeter
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A teeter-totter or seesaw. Canada, US
- 2 a plaything consisting of a board balanced on a fulcrum; the board is ridden up and down by children at either end wordnet
- 1 To tilt back and forth on an edge. intransitive
"He teetered on the brink of the precipice."
- 2 move unsteadily, with a rocking motion wordnet
- 3 To totter (move unsteadily). intransitive
"How many other organizations have sprung up amidst apparently unlimited energy, been the focus of a great deal of activism and education, and then begun to diminish? Some teeter along for a long time even though their base of support seems to have eroded; some metamorphose into something else entirely. Others die, and their death may be more or less peaceful, more or less guilt-riddled."
- 4 To be indecisive; to hesitate. figuratively
"We teetered on the fence about buying getaway tickets and missed the opportunity."
- 5 To be close to becoming a typically negative situation. figuratively
"Despite appearances, the firm was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy."
- 1 A surname from German.
Example
More examples"They were so proud of their beautiful park, they had never let people even walk on the grass; and now this bold man actually dared to propose that they should put swings and teeter boards and tennis courts right where the grass was most beautiful!"
Etymology
Alteration of titter.
Americanized spelling of German Dieter.
Related phrases
More for "teeter"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.