stagger
/ˈstæɡər/
verb
- To walk or move unsteadily, as if about to fall.
- After the long hike, he staggered into the cabin and collapsed on the bed.
- The toddler staggered across the room toward her mother.
- He staggered backward when the heavy box hit his shoulder.
- To arrange events, payments, or tasks so that they happen at different times rather than all at once.
- The school staggers lunch periods to avoid overcrowding in the cafeteria.
- The company staggers employee shifts so the office is never empty.
- We staggered the loan payments to make them easier to afford.
- To cause someone to feel very shocked, surprised, or confused.
- The sheer size of the stadium staggered the visiting team.
- The news of the accident staggered everyone in the community.
- It staggers me that anyone would pay so much for a handbag.
Antonyms
noun
- An unsteady, swaying movement or walk.
- The patient's stagger worried the nurse.
- He took a stagger toward the door before catching himself.
- With a stagger, she managed to reach the chair and sit down.
- An arrangement of things at different times or levels.
- The stagger of the work schedules helped reduce traffic jams.
- The race organizers used a stagger to start runners at different times.
- A stagger in the payment plan made the debt easier to manage.