🌊 Waver: Definitely Maybe
If you WAVER, you: A) vacillate; B) signal with the hand; C) stand firm; D) relinquish. Find the answer inside. 👉
You've written your college essay, read it 37 times, and your cursor is hovering over the "Submit" button. You waver for just a moment before clicking.
If you waver, you go back and forth between two choices, opinions, or courses of action. Maybe you're deciding whether to submit that essay, accept a great job on the other side of the country, or ask someone out. It's similar to the word vacillate, but waver is much more common in everyday English.
📚️ Definition of Waver
Waver (verb): to vacillate between choices or opinions; to show indecision: he wavered in support for the mayor.
🗣️ Pronunciation of Waver
IPA: ˈweɪ.və(ɹ) (See IPA key)
Phonetic: WAY-ver
📰 Examples of Waver
Here are some examples of the word Waver:
Marcus never wavered in his academic goals.
My New Year’s resolutions are always strongest on January 1st, but invariably they begin to waver even before February arrives.
For one brief moment, the firefighter <span class=”termDef”>wavered</span>; but then he looked up, saw a kitten in a second-floor window, and charged into the burning building with renewed determination.
🗣️ Common Collocations of Waver
A collocation is a group of words often found together in usage, for example figment of one’s imagination, extenuating circumstances, or inclement weather.
waver between choices
voice began to waver
never wavered in their resolve
waver in one’s commitment
waver under pressure
resolve wavered
Quiz answer: A.
Final tip: Don’t confuse “waver” with its homophone “waiver” (a document giving up a right) — an error that the best of us might make. Next time, we’ll tackle a word worth sticking around for: “abide.”