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
verbseesawed; 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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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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Even though the likely alternative is another seesaw – more lockdowns, more lives and businesses lost – sometime in the new year.
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Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, "In European COVID-19 seesaw, lessons in patience for America?," 18 Nov. 2020 It's lifted our feet off the ground on this seesaw.
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CBS News, "National security analyst Graham Allison on second "mutually assured destruction"— a U.S.-China climate conflict," 11 Nov. 2020 Recent surveys of would-be travelers show a seesaw of intentions and emotions.
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Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, "What does Trump’s Ohio victory mean for coronavirus restrictions? The Wake Up for Friday, Nov. 6, 2020," 6 Nov. 2020 Don’t let the daily seesaw of the markets dictate your investment moves, said Carolyn McClanahan, a certified financial planner who founded the fee-only Life Planning Partners based in Jacksonville, Fla.
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Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, "Yes, your 401(k) can survive the election," 2 Nov. 2020 Many baseball cognoscenti consider the ‘75 World Series one of, if not the greatest in baseball’s history, when the two clubs played a seesaw affair through seven games.
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NBC News, "Six MLB Hall of Famers lost in 2020 were part of the 'public imagination'," 14 Oct. 2020 Fashion often operates like a seesaw, swinging between opposite extremes.
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Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Grunge: Episode 2 of Our Podcast In Vogue: The 1990s," 24 Sep. 2020 The tiebreak, too, was a seesaw of astonishing bravery and nervy misses.
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Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, "Without Fans, the Drama of the U.S. Open Came from Within," 14 Sep. 2020 An active friendship dynamic can be like a seesaw – each party endures and witnesses ups and downs, but no one hops off.
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Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, "Pandemic brings out the boring," 31 Aug. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The two PROs measure different time periods, with the BMI year running through June 30 and ASCAP trading on a standard calendar year, allowing for the largest revenue honors to seesaw back and forth.
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Ed Christman, Billboard, "BMI Posts Record Revenue Despite Pandemic Hit to Licensing," 9 Sep. 2020 The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims may continue to seesaw, creeping up, then slightly falling, but the level will likely remain high as economic uncertainty lingers amid surges in coronavirus cases.
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Editors, USA TODAY, "Breonna Taylor broadcast memorial, unemployment numbers, Serena vs. Venus: 5 things to know Thursday," 13 Aug. 2020 That sets up a game of chicken that’s poised to play out while seesawing financial markets will be open for trading.
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Anthony Halpin, Bloomberg.com, "High Noon Talks to End Global Oil-Price War," 5 May 2020 Instead of an inexorable march upward, the Great Lakes are expected to seesaw between extremes, according to the Post.
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Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, "High Waters in the Great Lakes Reveal Two Centuries-Old Shipwrecks," 30 Apr. 2020 The game seesawed back and forth in the closing minutes.
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David Woods, Indianapolis Star, "Butler basketball falls to Seton Hall at buzzer," 20 Feb. 2020 The state's fortunes from oil have seesawed for almost 70 years.
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James Macpherson, Houston Chronicle, "Officials: North Dakota oil output may peak within 5 years," 11 Feb. 2020 The stock market seesawed between dramatic losses and gains this week amid concerns about the coronavirus’s effect on the global economy.
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Jerry Dunleavy, Washington Examiner, "‘Protect your granddaddy’: Surgeon general urges 'social distancing' to shield high-risk people from coronavirus," 14 Mar. 2020 Each team seesawed in different ways during the past 10 years.
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Hayes Gardner, The Courier-Journal, "Bowl wins highlight bright future for Bluegrass State's FBS teams," 31 Dec. 2019
See MoreThese 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
nounEnglish 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
nounsee·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
seesaw
verbseesawed; seesawing
Kids Definition of seesaw (Entry 2 of 2)
: to keep changing from one state to another and back again
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Time Traveler for seesaw
The first known use of seesaw was in 1704
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