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stagger

stagger

5 5.0
An unsteady way of walking as if about to fall
  • noun
  • /ˈstæɡər/
translation icon : tambaleo
  • No weak-kneed stagger as she tried to make it to an empty chair.

Examples

  • Again, all movement stopped as they passed, and Rabinowitz had to work hard not to feel self-conscious about her awkward mechanical stagger.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Jeff fights to his feet in the shallows and staggers to the bank.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • A stagger coming and going, and that was all.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Marianne came through the door in an exaggerated stagger.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • She knows a drunken stagger when she sees one.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • She couldn't say why she slowed down so soon, either; she slowed to a stagger just minutes after coming out on the beach.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • He struck the deck with a stumbling stagger and dropped his crutch.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • After the long hike, he had a noticeable stagger in his walk due to exhaustion.

  • The athlete's stagger was evident as he crossed the finish line, struggling to keep his balance.

  • She noticed an unusual stagger in his gait after he twisted his ankle.

Synonyms

lurch
vsstagger
7 4.7

A sudden unsteady movement, often forward or to one side

is a slower uneven walking that seems to wobble rather than jerk
stumble
vsstagger
3 2.2

A short loss of balance while walking that almost causes a fall

is an ongoing uneven walk that looks likely to lead to a fall

Compounds

9.9

A bush with pinkish-white nodding flowers that is poisonous to farm animals

stagger head
  • Specialized
9.6

A headline with each line indented more to the right like steps

How Unsteady

fall
191 1.0
to reel
16 4.6
stagger
5 5.0
lurch
7 4.7
sway
8 3.5

Surface Forms

stagger singular
staggers plural

Etymology

Stagger as a noun names that unsteady walk or step and comes from the same idea of 'stumbling' used in old speech. That's why a stagger is an uneven, almost falling way of walking.