1
as in hesitated
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
William Lloyd Garrison never once faltered in his demand that slavery be unconditionally abolished
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in trembled
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
the cut tree seemed to falter for a moment before crashing to the ground
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Recent Examples of faltered
Sheehan responded by turning in his best performance of the season, but the bullpen faltered in the Dodgers’ 6-4 loss to the red-hot Cubs, who won their 10th in a row.
—
Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
And the pitching and defense had faltered in key situations.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
But global equity markets faltered Monday, reversing course as traffic on the strait once again ground to a halt.
—Joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026
Their arrival comes after the team’s bullpen faltered twice in the late innings over the weekend in Cincinnati’s series sweep.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
The Red Sox ace faltered early by allowing a couple of doubles, but from there the left-hander settled down and seemed to find his groove.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Over the weekend, however, peace talks in Pakistan faltered, with Vice President JD Vance saying Iran would not commit to forgoing a nuclear weapon.
—Cnn Staff, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2026
In the past three years, though, the Hungarian economy faltered, and what was left of its independent media focussed relentlessly on the corruption and rot in the Orbán regime.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Soon after, though, that focus faltered.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2026
Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
And the pitching and defense had faltered in key situations.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
But global equity markets faltered Monday, reversing course as traffic on the strait once again ground to a halt.
—Joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026
Their arrival comes after the team’s bullpen faltered twice in the late innings over the weekend in Cincinnati’s series sweep.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
The Red Sox ace faltered early by allowing a couple of doubles, but from there the left-hander settled down and seemed to find his groove.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Over the weekend, however, peace talks in Pakistan faltered, with Vice President JD Vance saying Iran would not commit to forgoing a nuclear weapon.
—Cnn Staff, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2026
In the past three years, though, the Hungarian economy faltered, and what was left of its independent media focussed relentlessly on the corruption and rot in the Orbán regime.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Soon after, though, that focus faltered.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faltered
Verb
-
As of last month, that number was about 3 million as employees hesitated to quit at a time when job searches can drag on for months.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Dean Kim, master baker and founder of OC Baking Company, said that Schwarz was the kind of chef who never hesitated to show up for others.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The rear wheel wobbled and suffered severe tire wear.—
Bill Gourgey,
Popular Science,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The Celtics wobbled a bit, but found their balance in time to close out the game.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At least the elevator still creaked and shuddered, as in the old days, finally trembling open on the eighth floor.—
Rick Bragg,
Southern Living,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Later, when Tristan gently put his hand on Marke’s shoulder, the king shuddered.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Minutes into the execution, the team warden briefly flicked Hitchcock‘s face and yelled his name twice and shook his shoulders.—
Jeffrey Collins,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Bukele shook off his delusions of being the emperor of social media and abandoned his bullying tactics in the face of the biggest bully.—
Óscar Martínez,
The Dial,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Haitian immigrants became eligible after an earthquake rocked the country in 2010.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Zack Bolduc and Cole Caufield, on the power play, had spotted Montreal a 2-0 lead as the Bell Centre absolutely rocked again in the anticipation and hope that perhaps their team might take a 3-1 lead over the favoured Lightning.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The foundation of making our children our priority has never wavered.—
Sarah Sotoodeh,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
-
For years, the Dolphins front office wavered between being a big, physical team built around the draft to a small, fast team built in free agency.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Wembanyama lurched forward, toppled and slammed the right side of his face on the floor.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
When robots lurched, slipped, and occasionally froze mid-stride at the 2026 Beijing half-marathon on April 19, the internet quickly turned the spectacle into a meme.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Faltered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faltered. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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