stagger

stagger
verb
1》 walk or move unsteadily, as if about to fall.
    ↘ continue in existence or operation uncertainly: the treasury staggered from one crisis to the next.
2》 astonish or shock.
3》 spread over a period of time.
4》 arrange (objects or parts) so that they are not in line.
5》 archaic waver or hesitate.
noun
1》 an act of staggering.
2》 (the stagger) the staggered arrangement of the runners on a track at the start of a race.
Derivatives
staggerer noun
staggering noun & adjective
staggeringly adverb
Origin
ME: alt. of dialect stacker, from ON stakra, frequentative of staka 'push, stagger'.

English new terms dictionary. 2014.

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  • Stagger — Stag ger ( g[ e]r), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Staggered} ( g[ e]rd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Staggering}.] [OE. stakeren, Icel. stakra to push, to stagger, fr. staka to punt, push, stagger; cf. OD. staggeren to stagger. Cf. {Stake}, n.] 1. To move to one… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • stagger — [stag′ər] vi. [ME stakeren < ON stakra, to totter, intens. of staka, to push (for IE base see STAKE): akin to & prob. infl. in form by MDu staggeren] 1. to move unsteadily, as though about to collapse; totter, sway, or reel, as from a blow,… …   English World dictionary

  • stagger — (v.) 1520s, altered from stakeren (c.1300), from O.N. stakra or O.Dan. stagra, both to push, stagger. Cognate with Du. staggelen to stagger, Ger. staggeln to stammer. Transitive sense of bewilder, amaze first recorded 1550s; that of arrange in a… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Stagger — Stag ger, n. 1. An unsteady movement of the body in walking or standing, as if one were about to fall; a reeling motion; vertigo; often in the plural; as, the stagger of a drunken man. [1913 Webster] 2. pl. (Far.) A disease of horses and other… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Stagger — Stag ger, v. t. 1. To cause to reel or totter. [1913 Webster] That hand shall burn in never quenching fire That staggers thus my person. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To cause to doubt and waver; to make to hesitate; to make less steady or confident;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • stagger — [v1] walk falteringly alternate, careen, dither, falter, halt, hesitate, lurch, overlap, pitch, reel, shake, stammer, step, sway, swing, teeter, titubate, topple, totter, vacillate, waver, wheel, whiffle, wobble, zigzag; concept 151 stagger [v2]… …   New thesaurus

  • stagger — index overcome (overwhelm), vacillate Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • stagger — vb *reel, whirl, totter Analogous words: sway, waver, fluctuate (see SWING): *stumble, lurch, blunder, flounder …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • stagger — ► VERB 1) walk or move unsteadily, as if about to fall. 2) astonish. 3) spread over a period of time. 4) arrange (objects or parts) so that they are not in line. ► NOUN ▪ an act of staggering or a staggered arrangement. ORIGIN Old Norse …   English terms dictionary

  • stagger — v. 1) (D; intr.) to stagger from; into (to stagger into a room) 2) (D; intr.) to stagger out of (to stagger out of a building) 3) (R) it staggered me to learn of his defection 4) (misc.) to stagger to one s feet; to stagger under a heavy burden * …   Combinatory dictionary

  • stagger — The schedule of months in which quarterly returns for VAT and Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) are due. Traders registered for VAT and IPT are generally required to submit returns every quarter. For administrative purposes, the dates on which returns… …   Financial and business terms

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