Doddered: meaning, definitions and examples

move unsteadily

To dodder means to walk in a shaky or unsteady manner, often due to age or frailty. This term is usually used to describe an elderly person who has lost some degree of physical control and moves slowly and carefully. It can also imply a certain vulnerability or helplessness in movement. The action may be associated with a physical decline or a lack of confidence in one's ability to walk steadily.

lurch, stumble, teeter, totter

Examples of usage

• The old man doddered across the street.

• She doddered into the room, clutching a walker.

• He was doddering around the garden, tending to the flowers.