teeter

/ˈtiːtə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈitɚ] /ˈtiːtər/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈitɚ] /ˈtē-tər How to pronounce teeter (audio)/ (ame, mw)

teeter — verb

  • teeterpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • teetershe / she / it
  • teeteredpast simple
  • teetering-ing form

1. to shake or step with poor balance, so it seems a fall could happen at any momen

1.動詞不及物B2
釋義

to shake or step with poor balance, so it seems a fall could happen at any moment.

例句

Reema teetered on the garden wall before jumping back onto the grass.

teeter + on [surface]: balancing in a risky place

The toddler teetered across the wet kitchen floor in his father's boots.

teeter across: unsteady movement while walking

同義詞
  • wobble

    focuses on shaking from side to side, often without the same strong feeling of nearly falling

  • totter

    often used for weak or shaky steps by a person

  • sway

    describes side-to-side movement more generally and does not always suggest danger

反義詞

文法句型

teeter + on/along/across + surface

teeter + adverb/prepositional phrase

用法筆記

Usually intransitive. The subject is often a person or object that is badly balanced, and the sentence often adds a surface or direction with on, across, or near.

常見錯誤

❌She teetered the box onto the shelf.
✅The box teetered on the shelf.' or 'She tipped the box onto the shelf.
💡'teeter' is usually intransitive, so the unstable thing itself teeters.
❌The child teetered in the edge of the bench.
✅The child teetered on the edge of the bench.
💡Use 'on' with the surface or edge you are balancing on.

teeter — noun