How to Use precariously in a Sentence

precariously

adverb
  • The trail to the left follows precariously close to the edge of a steep dropoff.
    — Estes Park Trail-Gazette, The Denver Post, 6 Aug. 2024
  • Homes had tarps on the roofs, trees leaned precariously on houses and some roads were still blocked.
    — Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
  • The ceiling is as high as ever for the group, but the floor also seems precariously low.
    — Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2022
  • Wright, who still lives precariously close to homelessness, has seen one bright spot.
    — Elaine Ayala, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Feb. 2021
  • Each lives, precariously, with the secrets of those months in the wilderness.
    — Sara Stewart, CNN, 8 Jan. 2022
  • The car gets stuck on top of the fence, balancing precariously like a seesaw.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
  • The car gets stuck on top of the fence, balancing precariously like a seesaw.
    — The Editors, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The house was partially submerged, parts of it fell away and the rest was left precariously perched on the edge of a hill.
    — Eleonore Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Feb. 2023
  • My biggest complaint is with the precariously thin and bendy neck, which could be improved.
    — Medea Giordano, Wired, 13 July 2022
  • To my left, a girl was hawking chikanda out of a bag in a plastic dish mounted precariously on her head.
    — Literary Hub, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Each tool hangs precariously on a nailhead, and one wrong move can lead to a dangerous avalanche of rakes and shovels.
    — Christina Shepherd McGuire, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2024
  • Many of those questions are still hanging over the market, just not quite as precariously as before.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2024
  • Up high, fresh laundry quivers in the breeze like bunting, pegged precariously to twine stretched taut between windows.
    — Esme Nicholson, NPR, 3 June 2026
  • This lady had balanced a carton of eggs very precariously on the edge of the conveyor belt.
    — John Kelly, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2022
  • The Buckeyes held that spot — somewhat precariously — for the first eight weeks of the season.
    — Nathan Baird, cleveland, 31 May 2021
  • Banana trees were snapped in half and cows lay dead in green pastures with homes made of tin and plywood tilting precariously nearby.
    — Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 2 July 2024
  • The boys were born prematurely, precariously, at four pounds apiece in a hospital that didn’t have food for them.
    — Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2022
  • Diners rush to take photos while a pad of butter precariously slides across the top pancake before slipping over the edge.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2023
  • My figures have two noses, two pairs of wobbly lips and lopsided torsos that often lean precariously to one side.
    — Gabe Montesanti, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Everyone seems to be scared to death of him, or at least scared of upsetting his precariously balanced apple cart.
    — Marah Eakin, Vulture, 27 June 2024
  • The structure looks at once muscular and precariously balanced, like a ballet dancer en pointe.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 12 Nov. 2025
  • In this wacky activity, the plastic noodles are piled across the bowl with the yeti figure precariously placed on top.
    — Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 27 Oct. 2023
  • The duo upped the ante for their audition act, climbing two long, wobbly poles, and standing precariously close to the judges' table.
    — Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 3 Aug. 2022
  • Balanced precariously on the stone ledge below are a chayote (or choko), a cantaloupe and a cucumber.
    — Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2023
  • But there’s nothing less relaxing than precariously placing your wine on the narrow edge of a tub, or on the floor beside the shower.
    — Olivia Muenter, Peoplemag, 19 Dec. 2022
  • There’s dirt under their fingernails and, lacking desks, their clipboards wobble precariously on their knees, but not one of them seems to care.
    — Maya Chawla, Architectural Digest, 25 Sep. 2024
  • Right before Alvarez launched his home run into the right-field seats, the fan was filmed with his finger precariously near his nostril.
    — Michael Shapiro, Chron, 11 Oct. 2022
  • With swords precariously dangling above them, the witches have to place a selection of tarot cards in a specific order.
    — EW.com, 19 May 2025
  • The baron glanced up from his newspaper and saw a man on a motor scooter zigzagging precariously in front of the Peugeot.
    — Tom Sancton, Town & Country, 31 Mar. 2022
  • But the Torre de David, in its unfinished state, still stands — albeit precariously.
    — Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'precariously.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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