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Definition of falter verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

falter

verb
 
/ˈfɔːltə(r)/
 
/ˈfɔːltər/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they falter
 
/ˈfɔːltə(r)/
 
/ˈfɔːltər/
he / she / it falters
 
/ˈfɔːltəz/
 
/ˈfɔːltərz/
past simple faltered
 
/ˈfɔːltəd/
 
/ˈfɔːltərd/
past participle faltered
 
/ˈfɔːltəd/
 
/ˈfɔːltərd/
-ing form faltering
 
/ˈfɔːltərɪŋ/
 
/ˈfɔːltərɪŋ/
jump to other results
  1. [intransitive] to become weaker or less effective synonym waver
    • The economy shows no signs of faltering.
    • Her courage never faltered.
    • The economy is beginning to falter.
    • The team’s performance faltered badly after the break.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • slightly
    • never
    • momentarily
    verb + falter
    • begin to
    See full entry
  2. [intransitive, transitive] (+ speech) to speak in a way that shows that you are not confident
    • His voice faltered as he began his speech.
  3. [intransitive] to walk or behave in a way that shows that you are not confident
    • She walked up to the platform without faltering.
    • He never faltered in his commitment to the party.
  4. Word Originlate Middle English (in the senses ‘stammer’ and ‘stagger’): perhaps from the verb fold (which was occasionally used of the faltering of the legs or tongue) + -ter as in totter.
See falter in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
trait
noun
 
 
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