1. moved unsteadily or shakily, as if about to fall
Usage: past tense of ‘totter’
2. was close to collapse or failure
Usage: figurative use

Examples

• The elderly man tottered down the hallway with his walker.
• She tottered in her high heels on the uneven pavement.
• The old building tottered after the earthquake.
• The government tottered on the brink of collapse.
• He tottered backward when he stood up too quickly.
• The company tottered under massive debt.
• The toddler tottered across the room toward her mother.