seesaw

noun see·saw \ ˈsē-ˌsȯ \

Updated on: 17 Apr 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

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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

But the seesaw of withdrawal and deeper engagement, without the articulation of a clear strategy for the region, is sure to confuse allies and enemies alike.

— ben hubbard, BostonGlobe.com, "As Trump seeks way out of Syria, gas attack pulls him back in," 9 Apr. 2018
After prices make their big jump, the next stages involve small decreases and increases, which DeHaan compares to a seesaw.

— ron hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Gas prices up sharply heading into Easter holiday," 30 Mar. 2018
In terms of the revenue seesaw that the U.S. has experienced, the industry is now back at 2008 levels, when revenue totaled $8.78 billion; back then, revenues were on the downswing from the industry's 1999 peak of $14.58 billion.

— ed christman, Billboard, "U.S. Music Industry Hits Highest Revenue Mark in a Decade, Fueled by Paid Subscriptions," 22 Mar. 2018
But a seesaw in oil prices, alongside tight fiscal and monetary policies, are constraining growth that’s already not too far off its potential.

— anna andrianova, Bloomberg.com, "Russian Recovery Goes W-Shaped in Challenge for Putin's New Term," 20 Mar. 2018
Cancer and aging are like opposite poles of a cellular seesaw; molecular mechanisms that protect against one tend to have the unfortunate side effect of promoting the other.

— diana gitig, Ars Technica, "Naked mole rats have a complicated relationship with cancer," 7 Feb. 2018
The vice chairman, John Lindsay, the charismatic young liberal GOP mayor of New York, held down the opposite end of the ideological seesaw from Charles (Tex) Thornton, the head of the Litton Industries conglomerate, a business icon of the time.

— edward kosner, WSJ, "‘Separate and Unequal’ Review: ‘Two Societies, One Black, One White’," 2 Mar. 2018
Friday, the hosts broke from a seesaw affair late in the third quarter by holding Brownsburg to just one point in the fourth quarter to claim the win.

— lewis bagley, Indianapolis Star, "Zionsville gets big win over Brownsburg by 'not playing soft anymore'," 26 Jan. 2018
That seesaw has signaled nothing short of a new era of late night.

— laura bradley, HWD, "How Late Night Sharpened Its Teeth in the Age of Trump," 9 Mar. 2017

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

See Words from the same year

seesaw

verb

Definition of seesaw

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

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
In second place, with 24 seats, is Yesh Atid, a centrist party that has seesawed in popularity since it was founded in 2012.

— gregg carlstrom, Newsweek, "The Fall of Benjamin Netanyahu and the Future of Israel," 15 Mar. 2018
As the vote counting seesawed Tuesday night, many Democrats were ready to claim a victory even if Lamb were to lose the race.

— dan balz, Washington Post, "From Pennsylvania, one more message to shake any complacent Republicans," 14 Mar. 2018
The Bruins tend to seesaw between spectacular (win vs. Arizona on the road) and puzzling (a loss at Oregon State).

— usa today sports, USA TODAY, "2018 NCAA tournament: Breaking down the March Madness field of 68," 11 Mar. 2018
In private conversations, Mr. Trump has seesawed between expressing confidence in Mr. Cobb’s claim that the inquiry will wrap up in relatively short order and that he will be exonerated, and sounding frustrated with his team’s legal strategy.

— maggie haberman and michael s. schmidt, New York Times, "Trump Talks With Clinton Impeachment Lawyer About Aiding in Mueller Response," 10 Mar. 2018
Financial markets have seesawed since the ECB’s January policy meeting amid concerns over the retreat of central banks and the risk of global trade wars.

— tom fairless, WSJ, "Draghi Criticizes Proposed U.S. Tariffs as ECB Signals Tighter Policy," 8 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of seesaw

1709

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