faltered; faltering
ˈfȯl-t(ə-)riŋ 
1
2
: to speak brokenly or weakly : stammer
her voice faltered
3
a
: to hesitate in purpose or action : waver
he never faltered in his determination
b
: to lose drive or effectiveness
the business was faltering
: to utter hesitatingly or brokenly
faltered an excuse
Synonyms
Examples of falter in a Sentence
Verb
The business was faltering due to poor management.
Their initial optimism has faltered.
signs that the economy is faltering
Her steps began to falter.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brad Plumer, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Modi rode to power in 2014 on the promise of mending a faltering economy.
—Debasish Roy Chowdhury, TIME, 24 Apr. 2024
Despite this gloomy future, global negotiations to curb climate change are faltering.
—Kelly Sims Gallagher, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, ceasefire negotiations continue to falter and both sides remain far apart.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Childcare ‘Horizons’ Bill: Senate Bill 203 Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Benton, last month introduced a wide-ranging bill to help the state’s faltering childcare industry.
—Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 26 Mar. 2024
For a brief and telling moment, though, Oprah’s story of the revolution falters.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2024
Michael Wacha falters against Mets Wacha didn’t fare well against his former team.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2024
Her performance falters slightly as the older Tashi, wife to Art and mother of their child.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Rohan Mukherjee, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2024
Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Egypt on Thursday, and will make a stop in Israel on Friday, as talks for a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza falter.
—Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Pushing back The Russian assault on Avdiivka comes after an unconvincing Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer and as Western support for Kyiv falters.
—Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024
Hydrogen excels where battery electric vehicle tech falters.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 25 Feb. 2024
If one income source falters, others can pick up the slack.
—Melissa Houston, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
This number could grow if international funding for aid falters.
—Sarah Yager, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024
Maybe the only falter is dessert, a creamy-icy concoction that includes melon panna cotta and fresh sorrel bingsu.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024
Memory falters, personality changes, language slips, the grasp on complexity vanishes.
—Natalie De Souza, The New York Review of Books, 1 Feb. 2024
Verb
Administration officials are increasingly worried that their plans to fight climate change could falter unless the nation can quickly add vast amounts of grid capacity to handle more wind and solar power and to better tolerate extreme weather.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Modi rode to power in 2014 on the promise of mending a faltering economy.
—Debasish Roy Chowdhury, TIME, 24 Apr. 2024
Despite this gloomy future, global negotiations to curb climate change are faltering.
—Kelly Sims Gallagher, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, ceasefire negotiations continue to falter and both sides remain far apart.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Childcare ‘Horizons’ Bill: Senate Bill 203 Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Benton, last month introduced a wide-ranging bill to help the state’s faltering childcare industry.
—Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 26 Mar. 2024
For a brief and telling moment, though, Oprah’s story of the revolution falters.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2024
Michael Wacha falters against Mets Wacha didn’t fare well against his former team.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2024
Her performance falters slightly as the older Tashi, wife to Art and mother of their child.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Noun
Voters, for example, may turn against a government that—having set high expectations—falters in protecting expansive versions of the country’s interests and honor.
—Rohan Mukherjee, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2024
Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Egypt on Thursday, and will make a stop in Israel on Friday, as talks for a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza falter.
—Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Pushing back The Russian assault on Avdiivka comes after an unconvincing Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer and as Western support for Kyiv falters.
—Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024
Hydrogen excels where battery electric vehicle tech falters.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 25 Feb. 2024
If one income source falters, others can pick up the slack.
—Melissa Houston, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
This number could grow if international funding for aid falters.
—Sarah Yager, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024
Maybe the only falter is dessert, a creamy-icy concoction that includes melon panna cotta and fresh sorrel bingsu.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024
Memory falters, personality changes, language slips, the grasp on complexity vanishes.
—Natalie De Souza, The New York Review of Books, 1 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'falter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near falter
Cite this Entry
“Falter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/falter. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
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