tot ‧ ter /ˈtɒtə $ ˈtɑːtər/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Origin: Perhaps from a Scandinavian language ]
1 . to walk or move unsteadily from side to side as if you are going to fall over:
Lorrimer swayed a little, tottered, and fell.
2 . if a political system or organization totters, it becomes less strong and is likely to stop working