I. ˈstagə(r), -aig- verb
( staggered ; staggered ; staggering -g(ə)riŋ ; staggers )
Etymology: alteration of earlier stacker, from Middle English stakeren, from Old Norse stakra to push, stagger, freq. of staka to punt, push, stagger; akin to Middle Low German staken to push, Old English staca stake — more at stake
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to have difficulty in remaining erect : reel from side to side : stand or walk unsteadily : sway , totter
the man staggered, with his stomach pushed out, under the weight of the demijohn — Jean Stafford
an intoxicated motorist … staggers from his car — Wayne Hughes
the last weary dancers staggered off — Virginia D. Dawson & Betty D. Wilson
b. : to move on unsteadily : make headway or progress with difficulty
the good little ship is staggering along — E.J.Schoettle
his coach staggered through that wilderness of mud — James Stern
c. of an arrow : hobble
d. : to get along or manage despite difficulties — used with on or along
education, however, has managed to stagger on in spite of these pleasant diversions — F.J.Moffitt
2. : to rock violently : shake , tremble , vibrate
the whole fabric of the ship seemed to stagger — F.W.Crofts
3. : to become doubtful and wavering in purpose, thought, or action : hesitate
at whose immensity even soaring fancy staggers — P.B.Shelley
became staggered and perplexed, a skeptic — Charles Lamb
transitive verb
1. : to cause to doubt or hesitate : make helpless : nonplus , perplex
a solution so bizarre as to stagger the imagination — Newsweek
problems so intricate and laborious that they stagger the most patient mathematician — H.M.Davis
2. : to cause to sway unsteadily : make reel or totter
if a fighter is staggered, watch closely to see how badly he is hurt — Jack Dempsey
three young girls … doing work that would stagger most men — Louise D. Rich
3. : to place alternately at equal distances on either side of a middle line: as
a. : to arrange (as spokes or rivets) on each side of a median line alternately
b.
(1) : to plant alternately on each side of a median line
(2) : to plant at irregular distances without reference to a definite line
c. : to arrange (a file) so that the tabs on the cards or folders are placed in different positions
4. : to arrange in a series of overlapping or alternating periods
the move to stagger city business hours to help ameliorate traffic congestion — Sydney (Australia) Bulletin
feeding is staggered in three shifts between 11:45 and 1:30 — Management Methods
5. : to adjust (as the wings of a biplane) so that the leading edge of one wing projects beyond the leading edge of another wing
II. noun
( -s )
1. staggers plural but usually singular in construction
a. : an abnormal condition of domestic mammals and birds associated with damage to the central nervous system and marked by incoordination and a reeling unsteady gait : megrims — called also blind staggers, mad staggers ; compare equine encephalomyelitis , forage poisoning , gid , keel V
b. : caisson disease
c. : a condition likened to the staggers (as in disorientation)
a bad case of the verbal staggers — Time
2. : a reeling or tottering movement of one trying to walk or stand : an unsteady gait or stance
fling saddle and bridle on the horse and ride … into the last stagger of exhaustion — William Faulkner
3. slang : attempt , stab
4. : the amount of advance of the leading edge of an upper wing of a multiplane (as a biplane) over that of a lower that is expressed as percentage of gap and is measured from the leading edge of the upper wing along its chord to the point of intersection of this chord with a line drawn perpendicular to the chord of the upper wing at the leading edge of the lower wing with all lines being drawn in a plane parallel to the plane of symmetry
III. adjective
: marked by an alternating or overlapping arrangement (as of hours of work or study)
a stagger system was set up to relieve overcrowding in the school
adoption by the theatres of a stagger plan of curtain times — New York Times