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
2
a
: 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
adjective
seesawed; seesawing; seesaws
1
a
: 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
Synonyms
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
Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 9 May 2023
Perched on a narrow rib of the Continental Divide, the Clock is a large slab of granite—approximately nine by eleven feet—balanced on a stone fulcrum like a seesaw.
—Tarn Udall, Outside Online, 4 Apr. 2023
The actor later posted an Instagram story inside the circus where a seesaw act took center stage.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 11 July 2023
Those things mostly had specific, limited uses: a seesaw, a slide, a swing.
—Caitlin Gibson, Washington Post, 30 June 2023
The new sensory equipment, seesaw, and structures to ride and climb were all selected by the Dillons with Junie in mind.
—Cindy Cantrell, BostonGlobe.com, 12 May 2023
Talia loves the bigger swings and extra-large seesaws, which tend to be easier [to manage] for kids with disabilities.
—Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2023
The All-Star game switched formats recently but is still mostly an overly friendly, rhythmic seesaw of the best basketball players in the world lightly jogging back and forth up the court.
—Katie Heindl, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2023
In one mural, two children use a metal tank trap as a seesaw.
—Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2022
Chris Megerian, Lorne Cook and Seung Min Kim, Anchorage Daily News, 12 July 2023
Although international summits are often tightly scripted, this one in Vilnius seesawed between conflict and compromise.
—Chris Megerian, ajc, 12 July 2023
Path to profitability Luckily for Coupang, the Fortune 500 doesn’t take into account seesawing stock prices.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 5 June 2023
Even before Prigozhin’s mutiny, Russia’s seesawing fortunes in Ukraine had led to a growing mysticism among the army rank and file.
—Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, Foreign Affairs, 6 July 2023
Frontlines seesawed from block to block for more than two weeks as Russian forces attempted to break through toward the capital.
—Anastacia Galouchka, Washington Post, 24 June 2023
That’s how the market seesaw shifts back into balance.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 June 2023
The ocean seesaws between these states every two to seven years, though the past three years unusually saw three back-to-back La Niñas.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 21 June 2023
And so it's just been like seesawing ever since then.
—Joe Weisenthal, Bloomberg.com, 8 June 2023
See More
Noun
So Antonia sends me up and down the A-frame, through the tunnel, over the seesaw, and then through the tire to the finish line.
—Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 9 May 2023
Perched on a narrow rib of the Continental Divide, the Clock is a large slab of granite—approximately nine by eleven feet—balanced on a stone fulcrum like a seesaw.
—Tarn Udall, Outside Online, 4 Apr. 2023
The actor later posted an Instagram story inside the circus where a seesaw act took center stage.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 11 July 2023
Those things mostly had specific, limited uses: a seesaw, a slide, a swing.
—Caitlin Gibson, Washington Post, 30 June 2023
The new sensory equipment, seesaw, and structures to ride and climb were all selected by the Dillons with Junie in mind.
—Cindy Cantrell, BostonGlobe.com, 12 May 2023
Talia loves the bigger swings and extra-large seesaws, which tend to be easier [to manage] for kids with disabilities.
—Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2023
The All-Star game switched formats recently but is still mostly an overly friendly, rhythmic seesaw of the best basketball players in the world lightly jogging back and forth up the court.
—Katie Heindl, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2023
In one mural, two children use a metal tank trap as a seesaw.
—Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2022
Verb
Although international summits are often tightly scripted, this one in Vilnius has seesawed between conflict and compromise.
—Chris Megerian, Lorne Cook and Seung Min Kim, Anchorage Daily News, 12 July 2023
Although international summits are often tightly scripted, this one in Vilnius seesawed between conflict and compromise.
—Chris Megerian, ajc, 12 July 2023
Path to profitability Luckily for Coupang, the Fortune 500 doesn’t take into account seesawing stock prices.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 5 June 2023
Even before Prigozhin’s mutiny, Russia’s seesawing fortunes in Ukraine had led to a growing mysticism among the army rank and file.
—Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, Foreign Affairs, 6 July 2023
Frontlines seesawed from block to block for more than two weeks as Russian forces attempted to break through toward the capital.
—Anastacia Galouchka, Washington Post, 24 June 2023
That’s how the market seesaw shifts back into balance.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 June 2023
The ocean seesaws between these states every two to seven years, though the past three years unusually saw three back-to-back La Niñas.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 21 June 2023
And so it's just been like seesawing ever since then.
—Joe Weisenthal, Bloomberg.com, 8 June 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seesaw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1709, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near seesaw
Cite this Entry
“Seesaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seesaw. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
seesaw
1 of 2 noun
see·saw
ˈsē-ˌsȯ 
1
a
: an up-and-down or backward-and-forward motion or movement
b
: a contest or struggle in which now one side now the other has the lead
2
a
: a game 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 used in the game of seesaw
seesaw
adjective
seesaw
2 of 2 verb
seesawed; seesawing
1
: to move like a seesaw
2
: to play on a seesaw
More from Merriam-Webster on seesaw
Nglish: Translation of seesaw for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of seesaw for Arabic Speakers
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