falter as a noun: - 1
as a verb: - 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
falter
noun
1 falter
verb
1 falter
Be unsure or weak:
— Their enthusiasm is faltering.
synonym: waver.
Roget 859:
despair;
lose all hope,
give up all hope,
abandon all hope,
relinquish all hope,
lose the hope of,
give up the hope of,
abandon the hope of,
relinquish the hope of;
give up,
give over;
yield to despair;
falter;
despond
etc.
(be dejected)
837;
jeter le manche apres la cognee [Fr.].
inspire despair,
drive to despair
etc.
n.;
disconcert;
dash one's hopes,
crush one's hopes,
destroy one's hopes;
hope against hope.
abandon;
resign,
surrender,
submit
etc.
725.
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Roget 275:
move slowly
etc.
adv.;
creep,
crawl,
lag,
slug,
drawl,
linger,
loiter,
saunter;
plod,
trudge,
stump along,
lumber;
trail,
drag;
dawdle
etc.
(be inactive)
683;
grovel,
worm one's way,
steal along;
job on,
rub on,
bundle on;
toddle,
waddle,
wabble†,
slug,
traipse,
slouch,
shuffle,
halt,
hobble,
limp,
caludicate†,
shamble;
flag,
falter,
trotter,
stagger;
mince,
step short;
march in slow time,
march in funeral procession;
take one's time;
hang fire
etc.
(be late)
133.
retard,
relax;
slacken,
check,
moderate,
rein in,
curb;
reef;
strike sail,
shorten sail,
take in sail;
put on the drag,
apply the brake;
clip the wings;
reduce the speed;
slacken speed,
slacken one's pace;
lose ground.
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Roget 860:
fear,
stand in awe of;
be afraid
etc.
adj.;
have qualms
etc.
n.;
apprehend,
sit upon thorns,
eye askance;
distrust
etc.
(disbelieve)
485.
hesitate
etc.
(be irresolute)
605;
falter,
funk,
cower,
crouch;
skulk
etc.
(cowardice)
862;
let 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would'"
[Macbeth]
take fright,
take alarm;
start,
wince,
flinch,
shy,
shrink;
fly
etc.
(avoid)
623.
tremble,
shake;
shiver,
shiver in one's shoes;
shudder,
flutter;
shake like an aspen leaf,
tremble like an aspen leaf,
tremble all over;
quake,
quaver,
quiver,
quail.
grow pale,
turn pale;
blench,
stand aghast;
not dare to say one's soul is one's own.
inspire fear,
excite fear,
inspire awe,
excite awe;
raise apprehensions†;
be in a daze,
bulldoze [U.S.];
faze,
feeze [U.S.];
give an alarm,
raise an alarm,
sound an alarm;
alarm,
startle,
scare,
cry 'wolf',
disquiet,
dismay;
fright,
frighten,
terrify;
astound;
fright from one's propriety;
fright out of one's senses,
fright out of one's wits,
fright out of one's seven senses;
awe;
strike all of a heap,
strike an awe into,
strike terror;
harrow up the soul,
appall,
unman,
petrify,
horrify;
pile on the agony.
make one's flesh creep,
make one's hair stand on end,
make one's blood run cold,
make one's teeth chatter;
take away one's breath,
stop one's breath;
make one tremble
&c.;
haunt;
prey on the mind,
weigh on the mind.
put in fear,
put in bodily fear;
terrorize,
intimidate,
cow,
daunt,
overawe,
abash,
deter,
discourage;
browbeat,
bully;
threaten
etc.
909.
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Roget 605:
be irresolute
etc.
adj.;
hang in suspense,
keep in suspense;
leave "ad referendum";
think twice about,
pause;
dawdle
etc.
(inactivity)
683;
remain neuter;
dillydally,
hesitate,
boggle,
hover,
dacker†,
hum and haw,
demur,
not know one's own mind;
debate,
balance;
dally with,
coquet with;
will and will not,
chaser-balancer†;
go halfway,
compromise,
make a compromise;
be thrown off one's balance,
stagger like a drunken man;
be afraid
etc.
860;
let 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would'"
[Macbeth];
falter,
waver vacillate
etc.
149;
change
etc.
140;
retract
etc.
607;
fluctuate;
pendulate†;
alternate
etc.
(oscillate)
314;
keep off and on,
play fast and loose;
blow hot and cold
etc.
(caprice)
608.
shuffle,
palter,
blink;
trim.
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2 falter
Move hesitatingly, as if about to give way.
synonym: waver.
3 falter
Walk unsteadily.
synonyms: bumble, stumble.
Roget 732:
fail;
be unsuccessful
etc.
adj.;
not succeed
etc.
731;
make vain efforts
etc.
n.;
do in vain,
labor in vain,
toil in vain;
flunk [U.S.];
lose one's labor,
take nothing by one's motion;
bring to naught,
make nothing of;
wash a blackamoor white
etc.
(impossible)
471;
roll the stones of Sisyphus
etc.
(useless)
645;
do by halves
etc.
(not complete)
730;
lose ground
etc.
(recede)
282;
fall short of
etc.
304.
miss,
miss one's aim,
miss the mark,
miss one's footing,
miss stays;
slip,
trip,
stumble;
make a slip
etc.
n..
blunder
etc.
495,
make a mess of,
make a botch of;
bitch it†,
miscarry,
abort,
go up like a rocket and come down like the stick,
come down in flames,
get shot down,
reckon without one's host;
get the wrong pig by the tail,
get the wrong sow by the ear
etc.
(blunder),
)mismanage)
699.
limp,
halt,
hobble,
titubate†;
fall,
tumble;
lose one's balance;
fall to the ground,
fall between two stools;
flounder,
falter,
stick in the mud,
run aground,
split upon a rock;
beat one's head against a stone wall,
run one's head against a stone wall,
knock one's head against a stone wall,
dash one's head against a stone wall;
break one's back;
break down,
sink,
drown,
founder,
have the ground cut from under one;
get into trouble,
get into a mess,
get into a scrape;
come to grief
etc.
(adversity)
735;
go to the wall,
go to the dogs,
go to pot;
lick the dust,
bite the dust;
be defeated
etc.
731;
have the worst of it,
lose the day,
come off second best,
lose;
fall a prey to;
succumb
etc.
(submit)
725;
not have a leg to stand on.
come to nothing,
end in smoke;
flat out†;
fall to the ground,
fall through,
fall dead,
fall stillborn,
fall flat;
slip through one's fingers;
hang fire,
miss fire;
flash in the pan,
collapse;
topple down
etc.
(descent)
305;
go to wrack and ruin
etc.
(destruction)
162.
go amiss,
go wrong,
go cross,
go hard with,
go on a wrong tack;
go on ill,
come off ill,
turn out ill,
work ill;
take a wrong term,
take an ugly term;
take an ugly turn,
take a turn for the worse.
be all over with,
be all up with;
explode;
dash one's hopes
etc.
(disappoint)
509;
defeat the purpose;
sow the wind and reap the whirlwind,
jump out of the frying pan into the fire,
go from the frying pan into the fire.
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Dutch: stommelen
4 falter
Speak haltingly:
— The speaker faltered when he saw his opponent enter the room.
synonyms: bumble, stammer, stutter.
Roget 583:
stammer,
stutter,
hesitate,
falter,
hammer;
balbutiate†,
balbucinate†,
haw,
hum and haw,
be unable to put two words together.
mumble,
mutter;
maud†,
mauder†;
whisper
etc.
405;
mince,
lisp;
jabber,
gibber;
sputter,
splutter;
muffle,
mump†;
drawl,
mouth;
croak;
speak thick,
speak through the nose;
snuffle,
clip one's words;
murder the language,
murder the King's English,
murder the Queen's English;
mispronounce,
missay†.
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Dutch: stotteren, stamelen
Moby thesaurus: Bebung, abandon hope, back down, back out, balance, bashfulness, blench, blunder, bob, bobble, boggle, boggling, bounce, bump, careen, career, caution, cautiousness, chatter, chicken, chicken out, compunction, dally, dawdle, debate, delay, deliberate, demur, demurral, desert under fire, despair, despair of, despond, didder, diffidence, dillydally, dither, drag, faltering, fear, fight shy of, flag, flinch, flounce, flounder, flutter, funk, funk out, get cold feet, give up, give up hope, give way, goof off, grimace, halt, hang back, hang in doubt, hang off, have an ague, have qualms, haw, hem, hem and haw, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitate, hesitating, hesitation, hold off, hover, hum, hum and haw, hustle, jactitate, jar, jerk, jib, jig, jigget, jiggle, jog, joggle, jolt, jostle, jounce, jump, labor, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag, lose courage, lose heart, lose hope, lurch, make bones about, mammer, modesty, objection, pause, pitch, pitch and plunge, plunge, ponder, protest, pull back, quail, quake, qualm, qualm of conscience, qualmishness, quaver, quiver, recoil, reel, retreat, rictus, rock, roll, scruple, scrupulosity, scrupulousness, scuttle, seethe, shake, shilly-shally, shilly-shallying, shiver, shock, shrink, shrinking, shudder, shy, shy at, shyness, sink into despair, skedaddle, stagger, stammer, stick at, stickle, stickling, stop to consider, straddle the fence, strain, strain at, struggle, stumble, stutter, sway, swing, tarry, tentativeness, think twice, think twice about, thrash about, tic, topple, toss, toss and tumble, toss and turn, totter, trail, tremble, tremolando, tremolant, tremolo, tremor, trill, trillet, trilleto, trillo, tumble, twitch, twitter, vacillate, vibrate, vibrato, volutation, wallop, wallow, waste time, waver, welter, whine, wince, withdraw, wobble, yield, yield to despair ... show more.
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