toddle

verb

Definition of toddlenext
as in to totter

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of toddle On this trip back to the mountain village, children and chickens toddle around, and Elba scrubs laundry in an outdoor basin. — Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 3 Dec. 2025 The sight of hundreds of tiny turtle hatchlings toddling their way down to the lapping ocean waves is the surest way to take your breath away. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025 As players cleared the court, Ares could be seen with his mom, toddling across the hardwood with a basketball in hand, chasing after loose balls and even giving dribbling a try before his dad scooped him up. — Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 16 Oct. 2025 The cost of transport while flying works out to be about 36, but just 14 while crawling, meaning that the robot is more than twice as efficient while toddling along on the ground. — IEEE Spectrum, 29 Mar. 2016 See All Example Sentences for toddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toddle
  1. totter
  2. lurch
  3. stumble
  4. flounder
  5. shake
  6. falter
  7. waver
Verb
  • Like a lot of us who tottered into consciousness in the second half of the 20th century, Les Claypool grew up with cartoons from the family television beaming into his retinas.
    — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Outside, a gull tottered to the window and tapped its beak against the glass.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
Definition of totter
Verb
  • Maresca, though, does not appear to have much taste for the Premier League’s lurch towards balls into the box.
    — Sam Lee, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The United States, which had been lurching toward entry in the Second World War, was suddenly and inescapably thrust into global conflict.
    — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of lurch
Verb
  • Vulcan has stumbled due to ongoing problems with the performance of its solid rocket boosters, which are provided by Northrop Grumman.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Nothing that would actually stop a person, a child, a wheelchair or a stumbling drunk from going straight into the water.
    — Joseph V. Sakran, Baltimore Sun, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of stumble
Verb
  • For nearly four years, Villa have represented reliability, emphasised by what has come of direct rivals who have floundered under the weight of change.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The beef industry may be familiar with the up-and-down dynamics of the cattle cycle, but the prolonged shortage means the sectors struggling will have to flounder a little longer than what is typical.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of flounder
Verb
  • First, Murdock recognized the Falcons setting up a screen and then shook off a block attempt by the pulling center and dropped running back Tyler Goodson for no gain.
    — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • In quiet spaces, cues on whether the ground is shaking are distorted by our expectations.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of shake
Verb
  • Should any of them falter from here on out — or any sort of injury hit the rotation — the Phillies would be in a poor spot given their thin starting pitching depth and narrow margins to make the postseason after multiple dismal stretches.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • But their turnout in Broward, the state’s last big remaining Democratic stronghold, faltered.
    — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of falter
Verb
  • At times, Arizona has wavered between the NL’s second and third wild-card spots; however, after going 5-5 over its past 10 games, the team is on the outside looking in, sitting one game back of the San Diego Padres.
    — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Senator Bill Cassidy also wavered, but said he was persuaded by the vow.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of waver

Browse Nearby Words

todays
toddle
toddled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Toddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toddle. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on toddle

Nglish: Translation of toddle for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tilde

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All