seesaw
noun
see·saw
| \ ˈsē-ˌsȯ
\
\
Definition of seesaw
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: an alternating up-and-down or backward-and-forward motion or movement
also
: a contest or struggle in which now one side now the other has the lead
2a
: a pastime in which two children or groups of children ride on opposite ends of a plank balanced in the middle so that one end goes up as the other goes down
b
: the plank or apparatus so used
seesaw
verb
seesawed;
seesawing;
seesaws
Definition of seesaw (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: to move backward and forward or up and down
b
: to play at seesaw
2
: alternate
seesaw between two activities
: to cause to move in seesaw fashion
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Synonyms for seesaw
Synonyms: Verb
careen, lurch, pitch, rock, roll, sway, toss, wobble (also wabble)
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Examples of seesaw in a Sentence
Noun
Their relationship was an emotional seesaw.Verb
The lead seesawed between the two runners right up to the finish line. as their boat seesawed in the rough water, the rescue team tried to get the passengers off the sinking ship
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
There are multistory seesaws, narrow high-speed passes and other obstacles that could easily result in injury or death. — Steve Helling, PEOPLE.com, "Need for Speed: How I Raced Cars on the Set of Hyperdrive, Netflix's New Reality Show," 23 Aug. 2019 Last month, an artist installed three pink seesaws though a border wall that separates El Paso, Texas, from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. — Washington Post, "Interactive border wall mural tells stories of deported," 10 Aug. 2019 Their idea finally came to life at an event Monday in Sunland Park, New Mexico, when three bright pink seesaws or teeter-totters were added to the giant steel border wall. — Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, "California professors install seesaws along U.S.-Mexico border wall," 30 July 2019 Teetering up and down on a seesaw, racing across the monkey bars, climbing up a jungle gym—they're all thrills many of us take for granted. — Megan Uy, House Beautiful, "There's An Indoor Park For Children With Disabilities All Thanks To This Japanese Architect," 14 Aug. 2019 Last month, an artist installed three pink seesaws though a border wall that separates El Paso, Texas, from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. — Elliot Spagat, USA TODAY, "A US veteran, mothers of kids born in America: This interactive border wall mural tells stories of deported," 11 Aug. 2019 Some of the world news cartoonists weighed in on this week: Two Bay Area professors installed pink seesaws on the U.S. southern border. — Dylan Bouscher, The Mercury News, "Political Cartoons: World news weekly roundup," 3 Aug. 2019 An artist has installed three pink seesaws at the border wall that divides the United States and Mexico. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, "Artist installs seesaws at border wall so children in the U.S. and Mexico can play together," 30 July 2019 Rael and San Fratello both posted images on social media showing kids — and some adults — playing together on the seesaws. — Time, "'Joy, Excitement, and Togetherness at the Border.' With Three Hot Pink See-Saws, These Architects Turned the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall Into a Playscape," 30 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Markets in the region have seesawed because of unease about the state of trade relations. — Laura He, CNN, "Asian markets rally after China's trade comments soothe nerves," 29 Aug. 2019 The two teams seesawed, trading points up to 30-30 before Latin closed out the match-tying set on a Winchester hitting error and a Miroslaw Wierzbicki tip kill. — Brandon Chase, BostonGlobe.com, "Winchester tops Boston Latin for boys’ volleyball North title," 12 June 2019 This seesawing may have tipped in favor of gamma in a study published July 18 in Neuron. — Diana Kwon, Scientific American, "“Metronome” Neurons Act Like Timekeepers in Mouse Brains," 18 July 2019 But the Giants seesawed back into the lead on Vogt's fifth-inning homer after Slater's infield hit. — Henry Schulman, SFChronicle.com, "Giants complete crushing four-game sweep of Rockies, return home six wins richer," 17 July 2019 The unveiling of The Nightingale, far from the horrors of the director’s modern genre classic, proved to be a seesawing affair. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "The Nightingale director knows the film is 'a very tough experience.' That's the point.," 11 July 2019 Stocks opened strong on Monday, and have seesawed since as investors search for direction as trade tensions overhang the market. — Washington Post, "Chipmakers, trade fears drag down stocks; Facebook gains," 14 June 2019 But at the same time, viewers are kept on the edge of their seats, thanks to the decision by the filmmakers (Kirk Wolfinger was the director) to seesaw back and forth between 1945 and 2017, leaving each of the separate episodes on a cliffhanger. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘USS Indianapolis: The Final Chapter’ Review: The Depths of Tragedy," 3 Jan. 2019 The committee’s name has seesawed along with control of Congress ever since. — WSJ, "New House Committee Chiefs Take Their Chairs," 4 Jan. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'seesaw.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for seesaw
seesaw
noun
English Language Learners Definition of seesaw
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a long, flat board that is balanced in the middle so that when one end goes up the other end goes down
: a situation in which something keeps changing from one state to another and back again
seesaw
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of seesaw (Entry 2 of 2)
: to keep changing from one state or condition to another and then back again
See the full definition for seesaw in the English Language Learners Dictionary
seesaw
noun
see·saw
| \ ˈsē-ˌsȯ
\
\
Kids Definition of seesaw
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a plank for children to play on that is balanced in the middle on a raised bar with one end going up while the other goes down
2
: a situation in which something keeps changing from one state to another and back again