staggered

IPA/stˈaɡəd/

KK[stˈæɡɚd]IPA/stˈæɡərd/

1.adjectiveB2

Definition

feeling extreme surprise and shock because something completely unexpected has happened — for example, being staggered by a price, a medical result, or a sudden success.

Example

Mei-Lin was staggered by the news that her younger brother had won the national chess championship.

be staggered by + noun phrase

The doctors looked staggered when the patient who had been in a coma suddenly opened his eyes.

Common collocations

staggered by
staggered at
absolutely staggered
completely staggered
look staggered
feel staggered

Synonyms

astonished
more neutral; can be positive or negative
dumbfounded
stronger; implies being so shocked you cannot speak
flabbergasted
informal; expresses humorous or exaggerated surprise

Antonyms

unsurprised
expecting what happened
unmoved
not emotionally affected

Grammar Patterns

be staggered + at/by + noun

be staggered + to-infinitive

be staggered + that-clause

Usage Note

Commonly used in passive structures (be staggered). Often followed by the prepositions at or by, or by a to-infinitive or that-clause explaining the cause of the shock.

Common Mistakes

I was staggered with the price.

I was staggered by the price.

use by or at, not with, to introduce the cause of the shock.

2.adjectiveB2

Definition

arranged so that events happen at different times or objects are placed in positions that are not in a straight line, in order to spread out activity or avoid crowding.

Example

The factory introduced staggered shifts so that fewer workers arrived at the same time each morning.

staggered + noun (shifts / hours / working times)

Students take their final exams on staggered dates to prevent overcrowding in the examination hall.

Common collocations

staggered hours
staggered payments
staggered shifts
staggered rows
staggered dates
staggered start times

Synonyms

alternating
focuses on the back-and-forth pattern rather than the purpose of spreading things out
offset
used for physical positioning; common in design and architecture
staggered out
more informal; implies spreading over a period of time

Antonyms

simultaneous
happening at the same time
aligned
arranged in a straight line

Grammar Patterns

staggered + noun (hours / payments / rows / dates)

Usage Note

Used almost exclusively as an attributive adjective before a noun (staggered working hours, staggered payments, staggered rows). Rarely used predicatively (*the hours are staggered is possible but sounds slightly less natural).

Common Mistakes

The working hours are stagger.

The working hours are staggered.

staggered is the adjective form; stagger is the verb.

1.verbintransitiveB2

Definition

to walk or move with weak, unsteady steps, as if you are about to fall, usually because you are injured, exhausted, or affected by alcohol or illness.

Example

After running for three hours under the hot sun, Mateo staggered into the shade and sat down heavily.

stagger + into [place]

The old woman staggered across the room, gripping the furniture for support with every step.

Common collocations

stagger into
stagger across
stagger towards
stagger to one's feet
stagger backwards
stagger home

Synonyms

totter
suggests a more unsteady, shaking movement; often used for very weak or old people
lurch
a sudden, uncontrolled movement sideways; more abrupt than stagger
reel
suggests spinning or swaying as if dizzy

Antonyms

stride
walk with long, confident steps
march
walk in a steady, disciplined manner

Grammar Patterns

stagger + adverb/preposition (into / across / towards / down)

Usage Note

Typically followed by a preposition or adverb of direction (into, across, towards, down, out). The subject is usually a person or animal weakened by injury, illness, exhaustion, or a physical blow.

Common Mistakes

He staggered to walked to the door.

He staggered to the door.

stagger already describes the movement; don't add a second verb of motion.

2.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to shock or surprise someone so deeply that they find it hard to believe or accept what they have just learned — used especially for unexpected facts, costs, or discoveries that challenge one's assumptions.

Example

The price of the old painting staggered the museum directors, who had expected a much lower bid.

stagger + direct object (person/group)

It staggered the rescue workers that anyone could have survived the crash with so few injuries.

it staggers + noun + that-clause

Common collocations

stagger the imagination
it staggers me that
staggered to learn
staggered by the news
sheer scale staggered

Synonyms

astound
similar strength, but slightly more formal
dumbfound
emphasises the speechless reaction
floor
informal; means to knock someone down with the force of the surprise

Antonyms

reassure
to make someone feel less worried
calm
to reduce emotional intensity

Grammar Patterns

stagger + noun

it staggers + noun + that-clause

be staggered + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Common in passive voice (be staggered). In active voice, the subject is typically a fact, number, price, or discovery — not a person. Unlike surprise, stagger implies that the information is so shocking it almost stuns you into disbelief.

Common Mistakes

The teacher staggered the exam results.' (ambiguous — could mean the teacher arranged results or the results shocked the teacher).

The exam results staggered the teacher.

put the shocking thing as the subject.

3.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to set a series of events, payments, shifts, or physical items at deliberately different times or positions, preventing them from all occurring together or overlapping.

Example

The school staggers the lunch breaks so that three different groups eat in the cafeteria at different times.

stagger + plural direct object (breaks / shifts / payments)

To manage their monthly budget better, the Nguyen family staggered their rent and utility bill due dates.

Common collocations

stagger hours
stagger payments
stagger shifts
stagger holidays
stagger deliveries
stagger the start times

Synonyms

space out
less formal; means to put intervals between things
spread out
emphasises distributing over a longer period
offset
used for physical arrangement rather than time

Antonyms

concentrate
to bring together at one time or place
align
to bring into the same position or time

Grammar Patterns

stagger + noun

stagger + noun + so that / to / over

Usage Note

The object is always a plural or collective noun (shifts, payments, start times) — you cannot stagger a single event. The purpose is almost always to reduce pressure, congestion, or workload.

Common Mistakes

We staggered the meeting to next week.' (wrong — staggering is about arranging multiple items across time, not moving one item).

We staggered the team meetings so they happen on different days.

Word family

stagger
verbB2
staggering
adjectiveB2
staggeringly
adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

All four words describe causing strong surprise, but they differ in intensity and register. Stagger suggests the information is so shocking it leaves you reeling, as if physically struck — it is the strongest of the group and implies near-disbelief. Astonish is more neutral; it simply means to fill with sudden wonder or amazement, often in a positive way (a magician astonishes the audience). Dumbfound emphasises the speechless reaction — you are so surprised you cannot find words — and is slightly formal. Floor is an informal, vivid alternative, as if the surprise physically knocks someone down ('His announcement completely floored me'). In formal writing, stagger and dumbfound are preferred; in conversation, floor and astonish are more common. Consider the register: 'The cost staggered the committee' (formal, serious) vs. 'The joke floored everyone in the room' (casual, lighthearted).

stagger ↗astonish ↗dumbfound ↗floor ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

stagger to one's feet
stagger the imagination
in a staggered pattern

Prepositions

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

Staggered comes from the verb stagger. In the 1400s, stagger entered English from an old Scandinavian word meaning 'to push or shove repeatedly,' which gave it the sense of rocking or swaying. By the 1500s, people were using it to describe an unsteady walk. The meaning 'to shock or surprise' developed in the 1600s, based on the idea that a shocking event can make you feel mentally unsteady, as though your thoughts are swaying. The sense of 'arranging things at different times' appeared in the 1800s, coming from the image of objects placed in an alternating, zigzag pattern that does not follow a straight line.

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staggered

staggered — adjective

1. feeling extreme surprise and shock because something completely unexpected has h

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. arranged so that events happen at different times or objects are placed in posit

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

staggered — verb

1. to walk or move with weak, unsteady steps, as if you are about to fall, usually

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. to shock or surprise someone so deeply that they find it hard to believe or acce

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. to set a series of events, payments, shifts, or physical items at deliberately d

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

staggered — noun

1. a way of walking in which a person or animal moves with unsteady, side-to-side s

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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