falter

CEFRC1

/ˈfɒltə/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To lose strength, confidence, or control and become uncertain.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To stammer; to utter with hesitation, or in a weak and trembling manner.

Examples

  • Hold the weight above your head until your arms begin to falter.

  • Lucy's bloodless lips could only falter out the words, “It was my mother.”

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • [ˈfɔl.tɚ]

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To waver or be unsteady; to weaken or trail off.

  2. To fail in distinctness or regularity of exercise; said of the mind or of thought.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. An unsteadiness.

More examples

In context

  • You must not falter.

  • Tom, who isn't paying much attention, is suddenly caught by the falter in his voice as he reads the two lines—

  • He found his legs falter.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Even experienced speakers may blank when faced with a hostile audience.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English falteren (“to stagger; be unsteady, tremble, quiver; to stammer; be entangled, get caught”), further origin unknown. Probably from a North Germanic source such as Old Norse faltrask (“to hesitate, be puzzled, be encumbered”). May also be a frequentative of fold, although the change from d to t is unusual.