seesaw

noun see·saw \ ˈsē-ˌsȯ \

|Updated on: 5 Aug 2018

Definition of seesaw

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

See seesaw defined for English-language learners

See seesaw defined for kids

Examples of seesaw in a Sentence

Their relationship was an emotional seesaw.

Recent Examples of seesaw from the Web

There’s a pretty simple reason industry hates the idea: If one side of the seesaw goes down, the other side must go up.

— Washington Post, "The Health 202: The Trump administration will allow people to buy cheaper health plans. But they won't have certain Obamacare benefits.," 19 June 2018
In the days prior, the possibility of a three-second kiss turned into a game of intellectual seesaw.

— dana lee, Indianapolis Star, "Northwest senior battles depression, bullying to emerge as valedictorian," 11 June 2018
This looks like a classic spring seesaw kind of weekend.

— ian livingston, Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: Warm today, then turning cooler and eventually rainy Sunday," 14 Apr. 2018
The new Sutter-Aetna venture comes after the not-for-profit has seen its operating income seesaw up and down annually over the last five years.

— cathie anderson, sacbee, "Sutter and insurance giant Aetna hire industry veteran to lead joint venture," 20 Mar. 2018
On the sweet-salty seesaw, this ice cream balances perfectly level. 2.

— kara baskin, BostonGlobe.com, "The best flavors of ice cream at Toscanini’s," 29 May 2018
After repair workers from Conroe Independent School District removed the playground equipment at the school to keep students safe, the children no longer had playhouses to climb or seesaws to jump on.

— michelle iracheta, Houston Chronicle, "Parents raise $200,000 for new playground equipment at Buckalew Elementary," 6 June 2018
In what was a consistent seesaw matchup between seniors Pierceson Coody (Plano, Texas) and James Song (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.), After three sudden death attempts, Coody shot for par, beating Song by a single stroke on Monday.

— aaron nicholson, azcentral, "Coody wins boys division junior golf title at Thunderbird International," 28 May 2018
Over the last three years, the two countries have been a seesaw of production.

— clifford krauss, New York Times, "Sanctions on Iran and Venezuela May Empower U.S. Rivals," 17 May 2018

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of seesaw

probably from reduplication of ³saw

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1704

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

seesaw

verb

Definition of seesaw

seesawed; seesawing; seesaws

intransitive verb

1 a : to move backward and forward or up and down

b : to play at seesaw

2 : alternate

seesaw between two activities

transitive verb

: to cause to move in seesaw fashion

See seesaw defined for English-language learners

Examples of seesaw in a Sentence

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 of seesaw from the Web

In the statehouse, the debate seesawed back and forth.

— fergus m. bordewich, WSJ, "‘The Woman’s Hour’ Review: Friends and Foes of the 19th Amendment," 21 June 2018
These scenes of professional rivalry and seesawing imbalance are some of McLain’s best.

— mameve medwed, BostonGlobe.com, "Reviving Gellhorn and Hemingway, mostly," 11 May 2018
The questions, for now, are how long that wait will be and whether Bitcoin’s seesawing value can stabilize.

— rene rodriguez, miamiherald, "Bitcoin is booming in Miami. But can you buy a house with it?," 26 Jan. 2018
The question of whether graduate students at private universities can unionize has seesawed for years, depending, in part, on the political leanings of the members of the National Labor Relations Board.

— david w. chen, BostonGlobe.com, "Columbia graduate students walk out over union fight," 25 Apr. 2018
Stocks around the world have seesawed in recent sessions, with analysts pointing to comments on trade from the U.S. and China and mounting tensions with Russia and Syria as sources of market stress.

— amrith ramkumar and riva gold, WSJ, "Dow Industrials Slid Amid Geopolitical Tensions, Inflation Data," 11 Apr. 2018
Political Premium Oil has seesawed this year as record output from American producers offsets cuts by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies aimed at eliminating a global oversupply.

— grant smith, Houston Chronicle, "Oil surges as Trump pledges Syria missile attack," 11 Apr. 2018
Stocks seesawed after the Fed’s announcement and closed lower Wednesday.

— nick timiraos, WSJ, "Fed Raises Rates and Signals Faster Pace in Coming Years," 21 Mar. 2018
Trump's approval ratings have seesawed over the last four CNN polls -- from 35% in December up to 40% in January, down to 35% in February and back up to 42% now.

— jennifer agiesta, CNN, "CNN Poll: 42% approve of Trump, highest in 11 months," 26 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of seesaw

1709

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

seesaw Synonyms

Synonyms

careen, lurch, pitch, rock, roll, sway, toss, wobble (also wabble);

oscillate, undulate, wag, waggle;

SEESAW Defined for English Language Learners

seesaw

noun

Definition of seesaw for English Language Learners

: 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