I. wa·ver ˈwāvə(r) intransitive verb
( wavered ; wavered ; wavering -v(ə)riŋ ; wavers )
Etymology: Middle English waveren; akin to Middle High German wabern to waver, Old English wǣfre wavering, restless, Old Norse vafra to hover about, Old English wefan to weave — more at weave
1.
a. : to vacillate irresolutely between options or attractions : hesitate undecided at a choice : fluctuate in opinion, allegiance, or direction : act inconstant or uncertain : vary
wavers between easy tolerance and a bigotry which would have made the Puritans squirm — Green Peyton
wavered between sympathy and superiority — Mary Austin
wavers between writing an adult fairy tale, a slick romance, and a social satire — Martin Levin
b. : to change, alternate, or shift between objects, conditions, uses, or otherwise
a mood that wavered between uncertain cheer and blackest gloom
2.
a. : to weave or sway unsteadily to and fro : move back and forth : reel , totter
wavered back and forth a little as he spoke — Irwin Shaw
on this point of view the character stands, wavers, or falls — F.J.Hoffman
b. : to move in an unsteady or uncontrolled manner : flutter , quiver
the feather wavered to the floor — Elinor Wylie
a thin grey stinking smoke wavered up — Claud Cockburn
it wavered as he raised it and fired — Sherwood Anderson
c. : to approach or withdraw in an undecided or hesitant manner
they both hesitated, and, as it were, wavered uncertainly towards each other — Arnold Bennett
d. : to follow a changing or random line : move in a purposeless way or as if impelled by chance influences
the story wavers and loses some of its … effectiveness — Edmund Fuller
3.
a. : to move with a shifting or uncertain gaze : turn uneasily, timidly, or weakly one way and another
his glance wavered like that of a cornered animal
b. : to give an unsteady sound : quaver , shake
her voice wavered with strain
c. : to evince uncertainty or vagueness of mind (as in great perplexity or shock) : wander
his wits at last wavered from the prolonged and intense horror
4.
a. : to fluctuate in brightness : flicker , glimmer
the candle flames wavered — Margaret A. Barnes
the thin blue light wavered and vanished and wavered again — Ellen Glasgow
b. : to move with the indistinctness or uncertainty of a shadow
the silhouette of a moving cat wavered across the moonlight — Scott Fitzgerald
before my face wavered an incense cloud the like of which I had never smelt — Elinor Wylie
5. : to falter in battle : hesitate as if about to give way : check
the line wavered and broke — John Buchan
Synonyms: see hesitate , swing
II. waver noun
( -s )
Etymology: earlier waiver, probably from waive + -er
dialect England : a young tree left uncut during timber clearing
III. wav·er noun
( -s )
Etymology: wave (I) + -er
: one that waves: as
a. : one that swings something to and fro
they are wavers of flags and shouters of slogans
b. : a vibrating roller that smooths and distributes ink on the inking table of a printing press
c.
(1) : a hairdresser who does waving
(2) : a device (as an iron) for waving hair
IV. wa·ver noun
( -s )
Etymology: waver (I)
: an act of wavering, quivering, or fluttering