Adjacent Words

Waver definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WAVER, v.i.
1. To play or move to and fro; to move one way and the other.
2. To fluctuate; to be unsettled in opinion; to vacillate; to be undetermined; as, to waver in opinion; to waver in faith.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. Hebrews 10.
3. To totter; to reel; to be in danger of falling.
WAVER, n. A name given to a sapling or young timber tree in England.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: someone who communicates by waving
2: the act of pausing uncertainly; "there was a hesitation in his speech" [syn: hesitation, waver, falter, faltering]
3: the act of moving back and forth [syn: waver, flutter, flicker] v
1: pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness; "Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures" [syn: hesitate, waver, waffle]
2: be unsure or weak; "Their enthusiasm is faltering" [syn: falter, waver]
3: move hesitatingly, as if about to give way [syn: falter, waver]
4: move or sway in a rising and falling or wavelike pattern; "the line on the monitor vacillated" [syn: fluctuate, vacillate, waver]
5: move back and forth very rapidly; "the candle flickered" [syn: flicker, waver, flitter, flutter, quiver]
6: sway to and fro [syn: waver, weave]
7: give off unsteady sounds, alternating in amplitude or frequency [syn: quaver, waver]

Merriam Webster's

I. intransitive verb (wavered; wavering) Etymology: Middle English; akin to Old English w?fre restless, wafian to wave with the hands — more at wave Date: 14th century 1. to vacillate irresolutely between choices ; fluctuate in opinion, allegiance, or direction 2. a. to weave or sway unsteadily to and fro ; reel, totter b. quiver, flicker <wavering flames> c. to hesitate as if about to give way ; falter 3. to give an unsteady sound ; quaver Synonyms: see swing, hesitate • waverer noun • waveringly adverb II. noun Date: 1519 an act of wavering, quivering, or fluttering III. noun Date: 1835 one that waves

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.intr. 1 be or become unsteady; falter; begin to give way. 2 be irresolute or undecided between different courses or opinions; be shaken in resolution or belief. 3 (of a light) flicker. Derivatives: waverer n. waveringly adv. Etymology: ME f. ON vafra flicker f. Gmc, rel. to WAVE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Waver Wa"ver, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wavered; p. pr. & vb. n. Wavering.] [OE. waveren, from AS. w[ae]fre wavering, restless. See Wave, v. i.] 1. To play or move to and fro; to move one way and the other; hence, to totter; to reel; to swing; to flutter. With banners and pennons wavering with the wind. --Ld. Berners. Thou wouldst waver on one of these trees as a terror to all evil speakers against dignities. --Sir W. Scott. 2. To be unsettled in opinion; to vacillate; to be undetermined; to fluctuate; as, to water in judgment. Let us hold fast . . . without wavering. --Heb. x. 23. In feeble hearts, propense enough before To waver, or fall off and join with idols. --Milton. Syn: To reel; totter; vacillate. See Fluctuate.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Waver Wa"ver, n. [From Wave, or Waver, v.] A sapling left standing in a fallen wood. [Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(wavers, wavering, wavered) 1. If you waver, you cannot decide about something or you consider changing your mind about something. Some military commanders wavered over whether to support the coup... Coleman has never wavered in his claim that he is innocent... VERB: V, V 2. If something wavers, it shakes with very slight movements or changes. The shadows of the dancers wavered continually... VERB: V

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. 1. Wave, undulate, float, flicker. 2. Totter, reel, be in danger of falling. 3. Vacillate, hesitate, fluctuate, be in suspense, be undetermined, be unsettled, be in doubt.

Moby Thesaurus

alternate, back and fill, beat, beating, bicker, blench, bob, bobble, boggle, careen, change, coggle, dance, dangle, demur, dither, ebb and flow, equivocate, falter, fight shy of, flap, flick, flicker, flinch, flip, flit, flitter, flop, flounder, fluctuate, flutter, go pitapat, go through phases, gutter, halt, hang back, hang off, have qualms, hem and haw, hesitate, hold off, librate, lurch, make bones about, nutate, oscillate, palpitate, palpitation, palter, pause, pendulate, pitapat, pitch, pitter-patter, play, pull back, pulse, quail, quiver, recoil, reel, resonate, ring the changes, rock, roll, scruple, seesaw, shake, shift, shilly-shally, shrink, shuffle, shy, shy at, slat, splutter, sputter, stagger, stick at, stickle, strain, swag, sway, swing, swinging, teeter, teeter-totter, tergiversate, throb, toss, totter, trim, turn, vacillate, vary, vibrate, wag, waggle, wave, wax and wane, whiffle, wince, wobble