stagger

stagger
stag|ger1 [ `stægər ] verb *
▸ 1 walk in uncontrolled way
▸ 2 surprise and shock someone
▸ 3 arrange so not straight
▸ 4 arrange at various times
▸ 5 continue although hard
1. ) intransitive to walk in an uncontrolled way, as if you are going to fall over:
She staggered and fell.
stagger backward/towards/into/out of: He gave her a light push, and she staggered backward.
She picked up her case and staggered to the door.
She was coming back, staggering under the weight of a large suitcase.
stagger to your feet: The man staggered to his feet and ran away.
2. ) transitive to surprise and shock someone: ASTOUND:
Rory was staggered by his answer.
3. ) transitive to arrange objects so that they are not at the same height or are not in a straight line:
The seats are staggered so you can see reasonably well.
4. ) transitive to arrange for events or activities to start at different times:
staggered working hours
5. ) intransitive to continue doing something despite great difficulty:
He staggers on as president, despite his increasing frailty.
The museum is staggering under debts of nearly $5 million.
stagger
stag|ger 2 [ `stægər ] noun singular
a way of walking in which you stagger

Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • 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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