Dictionary  stag•gerPronunciation: (stag'ur), [key] —v.i. 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. —v.t. 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. Aeron.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. —n. 1. the act of staggering; a reeling or tottering movement or motion. 2. a staggered order or arrangement. 3. Aeron. a. a staggered arrangement of wings. b. the amount of staggering. 4. staggers. (used with a sing. v.) Vet. Pathol. a. Also called blind staggers. acute selenium poisoning of livestock characterized by a staggering gait usually followed by respiratory failure and death. b. 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. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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