Stagger — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

an unsteady uneven gait

walk as if unable to control one's movements

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/stˈæɡɚ/

🇬🇧British English

/stˈaɡə/

🇮🇳Indian English

/stˈaɡə/

2 syllables Say it as /stˈæɡɚ/.

Examples

The drunken man staggered into the room
He staggered along in the heavy snow
stagger the chairs in the lecture hall

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

lurch reel distribute swag careen keel flounder stumble

Parts of Speech

noun	an unsteady uneven gait
verb	walk as if unable to control one's movements “The drunken man staggered into the room”
verb	walk with great difficulty “He staggered along in the heavy snow”
verb	to arrange in a systematic order “stagger the chairs in the lecture hall”
verb	astound or overwhelm, as with shock “She was staggered with bills after she tried to rebuild her house following the earthquake”

Word Forms

lurch	verb	walk as if unable to control one's movements
stumble	verb	walk unsteadily
stagger	verb	walk with great difficulty
stagger	noun	an unsteady uneven gait
staggerer	noun	someone who walks unsteadily as if about to fall
reeler	noun	someone who walks unsteadily as if about to fall
lurch	noun	an unsteady uneven gait
careen	noun	pitching dangerously to one side

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

staffeln

ein unsicherer, ungleichmäßiger Gang

🇫🇷French

échelonner

une démarche instable et inégale

🇪🇸Spanish

escalonar

una marcha inestable y desigual

🇮🇹Italian

barcollare

un'andatura instabile e irregolare

🇳🇱Dutch

wankelen

een onstabiele, ongelijke gang

🇵🇹Portuguese

cambalear

uma marcha instável e irregular

🇷🇺Russian

шататься

неустойчивая, неровная походка

India

🇮🇳Hindi

लड़खड़ाहट

एक अस्थिर असमान चाल

🇧🇩Bengali

স্তব্ধ

একটি অস্থির অসম চলাফেরা

🇮🇳Tamil

தள்ளாட

ஒரு நிலையற்ற சீரற்ற நடை

🇮🇳Telugu

తడబడు

ఒక అస్థిరమైన అసమాన నడక

🇮🇳Marathi

स्तब्ध

एक अस्थिर असमान चाल

🇮🇳Gujarati

ડગમગવું

એક અસ્થિર અસમાન ચાલ

🇮🇳Kannada

ಒದ್ದಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ

ಒಂದು ಅಸ್ಥಿರ ಅಸಮ ನಡಿಗೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

സ്തംഭനം

അസ്ഥിരമായ അസമമായ നടത്തം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਹੈਰਾਨ

ਇੱਕ ਅਸਥਿਰ ਅਸਮਾਨ ਚਾਲ

🇵🇰Urdu

لڑکھڑانا

ایک غیر مستحکم ناہموار چال

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

错开

步态不稳、不均匀

🇯🇵Japanese

よろめかせる

不安定で不均等な歩き方

🇰🇷Korean

파상 배치

불안정하고 고르지 못한 보행

🇻🇳Vietnamese

loạng choạng

dáng đi không vững vàng

🇹🇭Thai

โซเซ

การเดินที่ไม่มั่นคงไม่มั่นคง

🇮🇩Indonesian

sempoyongan

gaya berjalan yang tidak stabil dan tidak merata

🇵🇭Filipino

pagsuray-suray

isang hindi matatag na hindi pantay na lakad

🇲🇾Malay

terhuyung-hayang

gaya berjalan yang tidak sekata

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

ترنح

مشية غير مستقرة غير متساوية

🇮🇷Persian

تلو تلو خوردن

یک راه رفتن ناهموار

🇹🇷Turkish

sendelemek

dengesiz, düzensiz bir yürüyüş

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהִתְנוֹדֵד

הליכה לא אחידה יציבה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'stagger'?

The primary meaning of 'stagger' is 'an unsteady uneven gait'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'stagger' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'stagger' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'stagger' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'stagger' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'stagger' in your daily reading?

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Do you find 'stagger' easy to spell?

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In your opinion, does the word 'stagger' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Which age group is most likely to use 'stagger' in regular conversations?

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How likely are you to use 'stagger' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'stagger' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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