stagger: Meaning and Definition of

stag•ger

1. to walk, move, or stand unsteadily.
2. to falter or begin to give way, as in an argument or fight.
3. to waver or begin to doubt, as in purpose or opinion; hesitate: After staggering momentarily, he recognized that he had to make a decision.

1. to cause to reel, totter, or become unsteady: This load would stagger an elephant.
2. to shock; render helpless with amazement or the like; astonish: The vastness of outer space staggers the mind.
3. to cause to waver or falter: The news staggered her belief in the triumph of justice.
4. to arrange in a zigzag order or manner on either side of a center: The captain staggered the troops along the road.
5. to arrange otherwise than at the same time, esp. in a series of alternating or continually overlapping intervals: They planned to stagger lunch hours so that the cafeteria would not be rushed.
6. to arrange (the wings of a biplane or the like) so that the entering edge of an upper wing is either in advance of or behind that of a corresponding lower wing.

1. the act of staggering; a reeling or tottering movement or motion.
2. a staggered order or arrangement.
1. a staggered arrangement of wings.
2. the amount of staggering.
1. Also calledblind staggers.acute selenium poisoning of livestock characterized by a staggering gait usually followed by respiratory failure and death.
2. a condition of unknown cause, occurring in pregnant sheep, cattle, and other animals during or just following extended transport, characterized by a staggering gait and progressive paralysis.