Meanings
staggers1
- pluralplural of stagger
- uncountableAny of various diseases of animals that affect the nervous system, characterized by a lack of control of the limbs
“Soon afther, some mischances begun to happen to the farmer's cattle; a horse tuk the staggers, a fine vale calf died o' the black-lig, an' some uv his sheep o' the rid wather[.]”
1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 525- uncountablestaggers and jags, delirium tremens or extreme inebriation
- indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of stagger
Staggers2
- A surname.
- archaicOxford University slangSt Stephen's House, Oxford.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna disease of the central nervous system affecting especially horses and cattle; characterized by an unsteady swaying gait and frequent falling
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Jocular modification of Stephen + -ers. See Oxford "-er".
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
staggers. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/staggers
“staggers.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/staggers. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “staggers,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/staggers.
Source: staggers on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.